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M E M O I R 



WASHINGTON IRVING. 



WITH SELECTIONS FROM HIS WORKS, AND 
CRITICISMS. 



By CHARLES ADAMS, D.D. 



New York : 
CARLTON & LANAHAK 

SAN FRANCISCO: E. THOMAS. 
CINCINNATI: HITCHCOCK & WALDEN. 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL KEPARTMEXT. 









Entered according to Act of Congress, in the j-ear 1870, 
BY CARLTON & LANAHAN, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States f 
the Southern District of New York. 



TO 

Hoy. JACOB SLEEPER, 

/ A FRIEND OF MANY Y 

£ his Uoltnrtc 
is 

AFFECTIONATELY AND GRATEFULLY DEDICATED. 



PREFACE 



THE " Life and Letters of Washington 
Irving," in four volumes, prepared by his 
nephew, Pierre M. Irving, and published since 
the death of his illustrious uncle, has been for 
several years before the public, and may be con- 
sidered a model work of its kind. It seems 
quite certain, however, that a brief and direct 
history of Irving, such as would be comprised 
in a single volume of moderate size, and includ- 
ing slight specimens of some of his more popu- 
lar compositions, would supply a positive de- 
sideratum, and be an acceptable service, espe- 
cially to multitudes of our youth, and others 
besides, who would shrink from the expense of 
a much more voluminous biography. 

Washington Irving was one of the distin- 
guished fathers of American Literature, and his 
service in this field must ever be deemed of 
great and special importance to his country. 
Hence it has very seriously impressed the 
author of this little work that the history and 
many of the writings of Irving should be as 
widely known a.s the language itself, and to 



6 Preface. 

further such an object was a prominent purpose 
of these pages. Of course to the literati, pro- 
fessional men, and students of the country, the 
eminent author and his works are sufficiently 
familiar. At the same time, to thousands of 
both sexes, outside of these several classes, the 
author of the " Sketch Book" is still a stranger, 
and to this day the magical pen he wielded has 
brought no instruction or amusement. 

If, therefore, to such this unpretending volume 
shall tend to bring the distinguished writer and 
his Works more prominently to notice, and en- 
tice to a still wider perusal and study of them, 
then will our humble effort not be in vain. And 
what was remarked by Edward Everett in the 
North American Review touching one of Mr. 
Irving's volumes may be well applied to the 
majority of his published writings : " The Ameri- 
can father who can afford it and does not buy a 
copy ( of ' Tour on the Prairies ' ) does not de- 
serve that his sons should prefer his fireside to 
the bar-room, the pure and chaste pleasures of 
a cultivated taste to the gross indulgences of 
sense. He does not deserve that his daughters 
should pass their leisure hours in maidenly 
seclusion, and the improvement of their minds, 
rather than to flaunt on the sidewalks by day, 
and pursue, by night, an eternal round of taste- 
less dissipation." 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. 



Irving's Birth — Name — General Washington's Blessing — 
Boyhood — Reading — Tendencies — Theater — Warning — His 
Limited Education — Literary Eminence Page 15 

CHAPTER II. 

Irving commences the Study of Law — Incompatibility — 
Belles Lettres — Excursions — Deep Interest — First Movements 
of his Pen — "Jonathan Oldstyle" — Success — Interesting Ex- 
cursion to Ogdensburgh — The Party — The Disasters — Fifty 
Years afterward — Affecting Memories 22 

CHAPTER III. 

Irving at Twenty-one — Personal Appearance — Social Char- 
acter — Popularity — Feeble Health — Embarks for Europe — 
Reflections on Shipboard — Arrival at Bordeaux 28 

CHAPTER IV. 

French Language — Journal — French " Diligence " — The 
" Little Doctor " — Montpelier — Marseilles — Nice — Genoa — 
Delightful Times — Embarks for Sicily — Syracuse — Mount Etna 
— Palermo — Naples — Rome — Washington Allston — Painting 
— Fortunate Escape — Madame de Stael — Her Conversation — 
Writings — Irving reaches Paris — Residence there 32 



Contents. 



CHAPTER V. 

Irving leaves Paris for London — Brussels — Holland — Thea- 
ter going — Mrs. Siddons — Irving enraptured — Brief Excursions 
— Embarks for New York — Established Health — Resumes Law- 
Studies — Admitted to the Bar — Declines Practicing — " Salma- 
gundi" — Its Character and Influence — Discontinuance Page 41 



CHAPTER VI. 

"Salmagundi"— Will Wizard— His Ball Dress— His Dan- 
cing — Charity Cockloft — Her Character — Piety — Curiosity 46 



CHAPTER VII. 

" History of New York " — History of the " History " — The 
Work — Its Superabundant Humor — Contemporaneous No- 
tices — Blackwood — North American — Walter Scott — Style of 
the "History" — Offense taken by certain Dutch Descendants 
— Laughable Instance at Albany 52 



CHAPTER VIII. 

" History" — Wouter Von Twiller — His Prodigious Intellect 
— Personal Appearance — Wilhelmus Kieft — His Peculiar Tem- 
perament — Remarkable Countenance — A Fine Lady of the 
Dutch Dynasty — The Fashionable Dutch Gentleman — The 
New England Barbarians, or Yankees 57 



CHAPTER IX. 

Irving's Apparent Indifference to the Success of his " His- 
tory" — Temperament — Manners — Life Crisis — Matilda Hoff- 
man — A Mutual Attachment — Her Sickness and Death — 
Stunning Influences upon Irving — "Cast down, but not 
destroyed" — Rallies and takes heart again 67 



Contents. 9 

CHAPTER X. 

A Silent Partnership — A Pause of the Pen — A Visit to Wash- 
ington — Resigns himself to the Gayeties of the Capital — As- 
sumes Editorial Charge of the " Analectic Review" — Con- 
tributes many interesting Pieces — The Position distasteful — 
Embarks for Europe — His Brother Peter — His Sister, Mrs. 
Van Wart — Several Visits — Partnership Business — Embarrass- 
ments — Fraternal Affection — Chastened Views — "Fortune" 
and " Providence " — Bankruptcy Page 72 

CHAPTER XL 

The " Low Estate" — Remarkable Letter — James Ogilvie — 
Excursion to Scotland — Visit to Abbotsford — Other pleasant 
Visits and Acquaintances 80 

CHAPTER XII. 

Irving resumes his Pen — Invited to a Situation in the Navy 
Board — Declines — Publishes first Number of "Sketch-Book" 
— Its Character and Style — Highly approved and successful 90 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Mr. Roscoe — A Royal Poet — Westminster Abbey — Medita- 
tions — English Stage-coachman — John Bull 94 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Irving visits Paris — The Poet Moore — Mutual Friendship — 
George Canning — Lord John Russell — John Howard Payne — 
Talma — Bancroft 103 

CHAPTER XV. 

Sudden Return to London — Coronation of George IV. — 
Scott— Leslie, the Artist— The "Stout Gentleman "—A Cu- 
rosity of Literature — Extract from Watts — Sickness — Other 
Afflictions—" Bracebridge Hall " 10S 



10 Contents. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Character of " Bracebridge Hall " — Lady Lillycraft and her 
Dogs — "Family Reliques" — Pensive Reflections — A "Wet 
Sunday" — Notices of the Edinburgh Review Page 112 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Relaxation — Embarks for Holland — Up the Rhine — Aix La 
Chapelle — Other Cities — Baths of Baden — Charming Scenery- 
Black Forest — Saltzburg — Vienna — Prague — Dresden — A de- 
lightful Residence — The Fosters — Royal Family — Their ample 
Hospitality — Pen inactive — Weariness of " Fashionable Life" 
— An important Confession 120 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

From Dresden to Paris — Temporary Engagement with Mr. 
Payne — Revision of "Salmagundi" for a French Publisher — 
Edition of English Authors, with Biographical Sketches — 
" Tales of a Traveler " — Goes to London — Poet Spencer — 
Rogers — Compton— Moore — Mrs. Van Wart — The Fosters — 
Publication of "Tales of a Traveler" — Moore's two Opinions 
— Extracts from " Buckthorne's Autobiography " 127 

CHAPTER XIX. 

"Blackwood's" resume of Irving and his Publications — His 
Life and Personal Appearance — Newspaper Essays — Salma- 
gundi — Knickerbocker — Naval Biography — Sketch-Book — 
Bracebridge Hall — Tales of a Traveler — The Reviewer's 
Farewell 135 

CHAPTER XX. 

Irving's Return to Paris— Long Interval of Literary Inactivity 
— Depression of Spirits — Advice to Nephew — Remark upon it 
— Autumnal Excursion with Peter — Their Winter Establish- 
ment — A Pleasant Picture — Departure of the Brothers for 
Bordeaux 148 



Contents. 1 1 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Correspondence with Minister Everett — Departure for Ma- 
drid — Irving commences a "Life of Columbus" — Writes his 
" Conquest of Granada " — A Diligent Year — Finishes " Co- 
lumbus " — Highly Applauded — Extracts: The Man ; The 
Ships ; The Approach ; The Discovery ; The Landing ; The 
Natives Page 154 



CHAPTER XXII. 

A Vacation — Irving sets out for the South — Interesting 
Scenery — Cordova — Granada — The Alhambra — Malaga — 
Picturesque Journey — Gibraltar — Cadiz — Seville — Spanish 
People 166 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

A Year at Seville — His Companion — Suburban Cottage — 
Rational Sentiment and Rational Enjoyment — Letter to Prince 
Dolgorouki — Visit to Palos — Cerillo — Publication of " Con- 
quest of Granada" — Extract : Kingdom and City of Granada 
before the Conquest — The People — Military Character — Po- 
litical Position i 172 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

An Editorship proposed to Irving — Declined — Prepares an 
Abridgment of "Columbus" — A Laborious and Tranquil 
[Year — A Diploma — Longing for Home — Reluctance to leave 
; Spain — An Excursion with Prince Dolgorouki — Off for Gra- 
jnada — Lodgings in the Alhambra — Irving in his Element — 
1 His Quarters — Sets to Work — Finishes " Legends of the Con- 
quest of Spain " — Appointed " Secretary of Legation to Lon- 
don" — Accepts the Appointment — Regrets at leaving the 
! " Alhambra " 183 



12 Contents. 



CHAPTER XXV. 



Departure for England — Traveling Companion — The Route 
— Traveling Companion's Sickness and Death — Arrival at 
London — The Secretaryship — Pleasant Situation and Com 
fortable Circumstances — Receives a Royal Medal — Doctorate 
of Civil Law at Oxford — Laughable Demonstration — Irving 
and his new Title Page 191 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

" Voyages of the Companions of Columbus " — Secretaryship 
Burdensome — Released after Two Years' Service — Various 
Visits — Publishes " Alhambra" — Embarks for New York 
Greeted with great cordiality — Public Dinners — Visits and 
Excursions — Full of Animation and Delight — Accompanies a 
Government Commission to the Far West — Winters at Wash- 
ington — Resumes Literary Labors — Extract from "Compan- 
ions of Columbus " 196 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

Cordial Reception of the "Alhambra" — Everett — Prescott 
— Extracts : Journey to Granada — Spain — Aspect of the 
Country — Birds — Traveling — Dangers — Muleteers — Robbers 
— Author's Lodgings at the Alhambra — First Night .... 205 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

"Miscellanies" — "Tour on the Prairies" — North Ameri- 
can — Extracts : The Prairie Indian ; Wild Horses of the Prai- 
rie ; One Captured ; His Subjugation ; Reflections of Irving ; 
Buffalo Hunt ; Success ; Prairie Dogs ; Their Villages and 
Associates — Succeeding Volumes of the " Miscellanies " 217 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

" Astoria" — History of the Work — Various approving No- 
tices — Extracts : Climate of the Far West — Desperate Cir- 
cumstances — " Adventures of Captain Bonneville" — The Trap- 



Contents. 1 3 

pers of the Far West— The Trapper's Indian Wife— Curious 
Use of the Lasso — Bear and Bull Fight Page 229 

CHAPTER XXX. 

Purchase of " Sunnyside " — Original Property — Erection 
Df the New Cottage — Irving's Plans — Letter to Peter — Peter 
arrives at New York — Sunny Picture of Irving at Fifty-three 
V"ears of Age 243 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

Tammany Nomination for Mayor of New York — Declined — 
[nvitation to a Seat in President Van Buren's Cabinet — Also 
declined — Death of Judge Irving — Death of Peter — The latter 
specially afflictive — Affecting Letter of Irving to his Sister — 
Commences a new work, " Conquest of Mexico " — Forestalled 
by Mr. Prescott — Abandons the Enterprise 250 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

Engagement with the Knickerbocker Magazine — Continues 
Two Years — His Articles of the Magazine collected into a 
Volume — " Wolfert's Roost" — Unprecedented Amount of 
Commendations — Extracts : Chronicle I. of the " Roost ; " 
£ Wolfert Acker ; " English and French Character 256 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

Biography of Goldsmith — Of Margaret Davidson — Picture 
Df the Sunnyside Neighborhood 265 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Irving appointed Minister to Spain— Appointment highly 
kpproved by the Public — Proceeds to Spain via England and 
prance— Pleasant Quarters — Presentation at Court — Bright 
Anticipations — Disappointment — Return of 111 Health — Writ- 
ng prohibited— Visit to France — Longing for Home — Visits 
France and England — Gayety of the Spanish Court — The 
'oung Queen Isabella 269 



14 Contents. 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

Restored Health — Pen resumed — Resignation and Return- 
Great Joy — Enlarges the Cottage — Pleasant Picture — At work 
on " Life of Washington " — Uniform Edition of his Works 
" Life of Mahomet and his Successors " — Return of 111 Health 
— Visits Saratoga and Washington — Receives great attention 
—Returns to " Sunnyside " Page 278 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Declining Hedth — Cheerful Spirits — First Volume of 
" Washington " — Misgivings — Note from Bancroft — Second 
and Third Volumes issued — Notes of Approval from Prescott, 
Bancroft, Tuckerman, and others — "Life of Washington" 
finished — Edward Everett's general view of Irving's Writ- 
ings 285 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Financial Exhibit — Avails of English Copyrights — Avails 
of American Leases — Avails of the Uniform Edition — Entire 
Amount in the Author's Life-time — Entire Amount to 1864 — 
Inference 295 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Mr. Irving's Religious Character — Remarks concerning his 
Brother Ebenezer — Connection with the Episcopal Church- 
State of Mind in his last Illness — Rapid Decline — Decease — 
Burial 297 



MEMOIR 



OF 



WASHINGTON IKVING. 



CHAPTER I. 



IT was a deeply interesting point in our 
history when Washington Irving was born. 
The war of the Revolution was just closing, 
peace was dawning upon the land, the independ- 
ence for which " the fathers " had struggled so 
long and so manfully was about to be recognized 
by the mother country, and the United States 
of America was now to commence as a nation 
its great and eventful career. 

Washington was born in April, 1783, and 
grew to be very much such a boy as might be 
supposed from a contemplation of his developed 
manhood. He was a sprightly, buoyant, witty, 
somewhat mischievous, yet not a vicious child, 
deeply affectionate toward his parents, especially 
his mother, who, as is natural, felt a mother's 



1 6 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

pride in her son. " But it grieved her that he 
did not take more kindly to religion ; and at 
times, in the midst of one of his effusions of wit 
and drollery, she would look at him with a half- 
mournful admiration, and exclaim, ' O Wash- 
ington, if you were only good ! ' " 

The meaning of this wish doubtless was that 
her beloved child were religiously good — that, 
amid all his sprightliness and all his promising 
traits, he were cherishing in his heart the fear 
of God, and a joyful trust in his mercy through 
Christ the Saviour. And as with a thoughtful 
and Christian eye we trace the career of this 
child along his youth and riper years, we cannot 
forbear the earnest regret that his mother's 
pious wish for her child had not been realized. 
Happy had it been, as well for the world as for 
himself, if God's Holy Spirit had been invited to 
enkindle right early that eminent genius, and 
inspire for the highest good of the race that 
brilliant pen ! 

Born, as Irving was, just as the war ended, 
it was eminently fit that a child so beau- 
tiful and promising should receive a name that 
had become so celebrated. " Washington's work 
is ended," said the mother, " and the child shall 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 1 7 

be named after him." And very pleasant and 
noteworthy is the incident that, when the great 
Washington returned to New York as President 
of the United States, a Scotch maid, servant of 
the Irving family, accosted him one morning, 
and pointing to the lad scarcely yet emerged 
from his virgin trowsers, exclaimed, " Please 
your honor, here's a bairn was named for you." 
And Washington placed his hand on the head 
of the little boy and gave him his blessing. All 
this can hardly fail to remind us of a similar 
transaction when One infinitely greater than 
Washington took little children up in his arms 
and blessed them. 

The anecdotes told us of Irving's early boy- 
hood are highly characteristic, and indicate to 
a considerable extent the genius and character 
of the forthcoming man. At eleven years old 
we find him becoming much interested in certain 
kinds of reading, among which books of voyages 
and travels held a conspicuous place. By con- 
stant perusal of works of this character he be- 
came inflamed with a passion for going abroad 
to see the world for himself. " How wistfully," 
said he, " would I wander about the pier heads 
in fine weather, and watch the parting ships 



1 8 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

bound to distant climes ; with what longing 
eyes would I gaze after their lessening sails, 
and waft myself in imagination to the ends of 
the earth ! " 

A more damaging tendency and passion soon 
affected this ardent and talented boy. Having, 
on one occasion, attended a theater, he is repre- 
sented as being so delighted with the acting 
that henceforward he felt and cherished a 
special fondness for theatrical entertainments. 
Hence, as we trace him through all his youthful 
years, and in maturer life, and amid his sojourn- 
ings in one and another city, at home or abroad, 
we cannot help discerning that the theater was 
one of the very prominent amusements in which 
he indulged. It is painful, too, to notice that 
his early indulgence and pleasure in this species 
of amusement was the " sweetness of stolen 
waters." His attendance at the theater being 
under parental interdict, it is represented as his 
habit that he would go early and see the play, 
then hurry home to prayers at the hour of nine, 
retire afterward to his room as if for the night, 
pass slyly out of his window, and steal back to 
the theater to witness the afterpiece ; after which 
he would return by the same way to his room. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 19 

Let all boys remember that examples like this 
should never be imitated ; and that while the 
amusement itself, with the usual accompani- 
ments, is more than doubtful, his means of 
securing it. and the disobedience prompting 
those means, were a positive wrong, and could 
never be reviewed with an approving conscience. 

A very important lesson for parents is also 
here. It is likely that for young and imagina- 
tive people few amusements present a stronger 
or more dangerous fascination than the theater. 
Such youth, having once tasted this pleasure, 
long for its repetition, while the dangerous appe- 
tite " grows by what it feeds on " until many 

strong tie, not excepting that of integrity 
itself, often yields to the fatal fascination of the 
siren. That young Irving was ever so sadly 
drawn into this vortex does not appear, save in 
the instance specified. But that the theater 
formed one of the capital charms of his youth- 
ful vears is painfully evident. How far this 
kind of indulgence and recreation operated 
to prevent him from early following his parents 
in the way of piety cannot be estimated ; but 
that an important influence was thus exerted in 
the direction alluded to seems morally certain. 



20 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

Young Irving was not liberally educated ; 
and we trace him as a school-boy, and in one 
and another school, until he reached the age of 
fifteen. At the last school which he attended, 
where he remained about eighteen months, he 
studied the Latin language, which seems to 
have been his nearest approach to a classical 
education. Mathematical studies appear not to 
have been pursued beyond common arithmetic ; 
while this was, with him, one of the most irk- 
some of his studies. In composition, as may 
well be supposed, he was far more interested 
and successful ; a circumstance which seems to 
have often led him to " exchange work " with 
one and another of his mates — they working 
out his sums, and he writing out their compo- 
sitions. 

Thus, before attaining his sixteenth year, was 
the school education of Washington Irving 
finished. It is certainly an interesting fact in 
the history of American literature that he who i 
is recognized as one of its chief pioneers and 
fathers was himself but a self-educated man. 
For half a century have the thousands of un- 
dergraduates in our colleges seized eagerly upon 
the works of this man as their favorite author 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 2 1 

in the department of belles Icttrcs ; and he 
who, among the numerous college and public 
libraries, would light upon the books the most 
handled and worn of all others, must not over- 
look the fascinating volumes of Irving. Nor is 
the charm attendant upon his pen that which 
affects merely the tyro in literature. The 
ripe and mature scholar roams with equal and 
even superior pleasure amid these gardens of 
beauty ; and the " Great Wizard of the North," 
with as much enthusiasm as the ardent youth 
amid his varied classic exercises, was wont to 
discuss, with no ordinary relish, the pleasant 
viands supplied by this extraordinary caterer of 
literary delights. How is all this ? We may 
pause only to respond that it is not in colleges 
or college training ; it is not in education ; not 
in surroundings ; not in smiles or sorrows, 
riches or poverty ; not in travel, observation, or 
all learning and knowledge. It is in the man 
himself; and in something there which, like 
the century plant, blooms not every year nor 
every generation. 



22 Mem Ttvmg. 



A 



CHAPTER II. 

T si:: :refore, his school 

studies being finished, young Irving com- 
menced the study of the law, or, rather, he 
entered a law office, sojourning there during 
two . which the study of bcL 

seems to have been far more diligently and 
successfully pursued than that of law. Indeed, 
it is difficult to conceive of a youth less adapted 
to the studies and practice of law than he. 

:.v more congenial with his temperament 
and tastes was it to be reveling amid the wild 
and beautiful scenery which stretched away in 
various directions from the city- of his birth. 
Hence we see him gladly escaping from the 
law office, with its arid studies and rough and 
thorny associations, to commit himself, with a 
friend or two, to a long excursion up the Hud- 
son, and among the then wild regions beyond. 
Far away above Albany, where at the begin- 
ing of the century was the frontier of civiliza- 
tion, dwelt an elder sister, who, at a tender age, 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 23 

had gone, with her youthful husband, to dwell 
amid those northern outskirts. Thither Irving 
was bound. It was the year 1 800, when steam- 
boats and railroads were unknown ; and this 
was his first voyage up that noble stream 
whose shores were in after time to be made 
classic by the witchery- of his pen, and on 
whose banks would one day repose the lovely 
villa where, after long and weary sojournings 
in foreign lands, he would make his earthly 
resting-place. 

Long afterward he wrote of this early 
age and its pleasant experience. There was the 
boy-like eagerness to embark, the final floating 
away of the sloop from the wharf into the broad 
stream, the exchange of adieus with friends 
ashore, the grand of the Palisades, the 

" intense delight " of that first sail through the 
Highlands, the overhanging forests the u witch- 
ing effect" of the Kaatskiil Mountains — now 
seeming to approach the shore, then receding 
and melting away into the hazy distance. It 

his lot in subsequent years to tra 
some of the rivers of the old world, and such as 
are renowned in history and son_ 
he remarks, were never able to efface or dim 



24 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

the pictures of his native stream, so early 
stamped upon his memory. He would always 
revert to them with a filial feeling, and with a 
recurrence of the joyous associations of his 
boyhood. 

A year or two afterward we find him, in com- 
pany with a friend, on another excursion up the 
Hudson — at the Springs, and elsewhere. At 
this time he is an invalid, with consumptive 
symptoms and tendencies, and he returns 
home with health still drooping and uncertain. 

Now it is when, at nineteen years of age, we 
trace the first movements of Irving's pen with 
a view to publication. They consist in a series 
of humorous contributions under the signature 
of " Jonathan Oldstyle," and were published in 
the " Morning Chronicle." Even these earliest 
attempts of his pen were popular, and were ex- 
tensively copied in the prints of the time ; and 
twenty years afterward, when their author was 
abroad in Europe and had now became famous, 
they were, without his consent or approbation, 
collected and republished. 

In the following summer Irving was one of a 
very interesting party made up for an excursion 
to Ogdensburg, Montreal, and Quebec. This 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 25 

company comprised, besides the subject of this 
sketch, two highly respectable families, consist- 
ing each of husband, wife, and daughter, and 
the expedition must have promised, of course, 
no small amount of pleasure to the several par- 
ties, and not the least to the young gentleman 
himself. It proved a scene of much and varied 
adventure. As usual, their voyage up the river 
was by sloop. Arriving at Albany, we soon 
track them to Saratoga and Ballston, whence 
they make a flying visit to Utica, then in the 
wilderness. Then we see them, in wagons, strug- 
gling through thick woods, and muddy roads, and 
blackened stumps, and fallen trees. Matters wax 
worse and worse. The travelers are now out 
walking in the mud ; then, launched in a scow 
on Beach River, they are overwhelmed with 
torrents of rain ; then, going ashore, they lodge 
in a log-hut on beds spread upon the floor. In 
the morning they are off again upon the muddy 
stream ; anon, in wagons, once more blunder- 
ing amid stumps and roots ; again stuck fast, 
and the whole party taking to their feet, the 
rain meanwhile descending in torrents, young 
Irving frequently up to his "middle in mud 
and water." Amid the woods and mud and 



26 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

rain they seek to shelter the ladies in a little 
bark shed of capacity sufficient to hold three 
but half of it falls down as they attempt t 
creep under it, and the rain falls in floods, fall 
as they never have seen it fall before ; the wind 
blows a hurricane ; the trees shake, and bend, 
and crack, and threaten every moment to fall 
and crush the frightened company. They flee 
as from destruction, dragging themselves along 
with painful difficulty, until they again reach 
hut, their only lodging-place. Suffice it to add, 
that after other similar and hideous mishaps, to 
their great joy they came in sight of Oswe- 
gatchie, whose present name is Ogdensburg. 

Fifty years afterward, and when Irving was 
seventy years of age, he went and looked again 
upon this interesting locality. There for a long 
time he sat, his thoughts running back through 
the long vista of departed years, and lighting 
upon the happy beings who, fifty years before, 
were with him there. Every one of them was 
now passed away, and himself was the sole sur- 
vivor of all that joyous company. Quietly and 
safely at home they had lived — at home they 
had died while he still lived, though amid these 
intervening years he had traversed seas, and 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 27 

wandered over distant lands, and encountered 
so many dangers and hardships. It seemed 
wonderful to him as he sat there pensive and 
lonely, and doubtless he wept amid those inter- 
esting and somber memories. And why, in 
such a connection, must there be no recogni- 
tion of that kind and favoring Providence that 
had accompanied him, and watched him, and 
shielded him at every step of his long and 
various wanderings ? There sat that man of 
seventy years. A long and prosperous life had 
been his. His name had become world-re- 
nowned, his fame world-wide. Few mortals 
had been so extensively honored, loved, and 
caressed as he. Every circumstance was 
adapted to point him to the divine hand. 
How graceful would have been an ascription of 
praise ! and how graceful, too, as well as taste- 
ful, would have been its public record ! 






28 Memoir of Washington Irving. 



CHAPTER III. 

AT twenty-one years of age Washington 
Irving was a young gentleman of more 
than ordinary interest. His portrait of about 
this period of his life, while a slightly boyish as- 
pect seems still to linger with him, presents a 
countenance singularly well-formed and comely. 
His forehead was full, high, expansive, and par- 
tially and gracefully shaded by flowing locks of I 
hair carelessly curling around, it ; his calm and 
expressive eyes were overarched by eyebrows 
of perfect regularity ; his nose nearly straight, 
and formed with classic and faultless graceful- 
ness ; his mouth rather small, with lips full, and 
slightly elevated at their extremities, and thus 
hinting at that rich vein of humor for which he 
was so remarkable ; chin long, yet finely turned ; 
the head lofty, and clothed with abundant hair 
carelessly worn ; the entire tout ensemble con- 
veying to us the impression that this must have 
been a youth of rare personal beauty and at- 
tractiveness. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 29 

Harmonious with his fine personal appear- 
ance were his mental accomplishments, and the 
kindly and genial elements of his social char- 
acter. His talents as a writer had already be- 
gan to be apparent, while his conversational 
powers were similar to what he ascribed to one 
of his brothers, being characterized by " rich, 
mellow humor, range of anecdote, quick sensi- 
bility, and fine colloquial flow." 

No wonder that such a youth was the idol 
of the family circle, or that he began to attract 
the attention and interest of a constantly widen- 
ing circle of friends. But, alas ! this beautiful 
youth came up to his majority smitten with 
disease. His consumptive tendencies have al- 
ready been alluded to, and evident alarm on his 
account was now beginning to be felt by his 
numerous friends, and especially those of his 
own father's family. How could such a son 
and brother as this be given up to disease, de- 
cline, and death ! Must such a star of beauty 
set so soon ? and shall a luminary rising so 
brilliantly be quenched in quick and cold 
eclipse ? It must not be. This child of prom- 
ise must be rescued from the destroyer, and for 
a boon so precious as his health and life he 



30 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

must be given up for a season and sent abroad 
to a foreign land. " It is with delight," wrote 
his eldest brother to him after his departure for 
Europe, " that we share the world with you ; 
and one of our greatest sources of happiness is 
that fortune is daily putting it in our power 
thus to add to the comfort and enjoyment of 
one so very near to us all." No wonder that 
he was " heavy-hearted " as he sailed away, and 
as he saw the spires of the city sink from his' 
view. That day was melancholy and lonesome, 
and as at night he turned into his berth he 
was sick at heart. 

Such is sometimes the " low estate " befalling 
frail and helpless man — abroad upon the dark 
and heaving ocean, reclining that night in his 
lowly berth, an invalid youth — his life hanging 
as if by a thread — wafted each moment farther 
from the friends and home he loves, bound to a 
land of strangers, unknown, unheeded, sick, 
faint, and sad. Will he ever rally ? and will 
brighter and more prosperous days ever rise on 
his vision to gladden his sinking, sorrowing 
heart ? 

But Irving's characteristic elasticity pre- 
vailed, and, giving thanks to the "fountain of 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 3 1 

health and good spirits," he presently revived 
from his state of dullness and discouragement — 
arose above his homesickness. While antici- 
pating the classic and pleasant scenes he was 
about to enjoy in a foreign land, he went on his 
way with cheerful and joyful steps. 

After a pleasant voyage, with mild and gen- 
tle weather, and but a few hours of seasickness, 
our traveler arrived at Bordeaux ; and as he 
contemplated the buildings, ancient churches, 
and the manners of the people, he seemed to 
himself to have come to another world. 



32 Memoir of Washington Irving. 



CHAPTER IV. 

IRVING remained several weeks at Bor- 
deaux, improving himself in the French 
language. Here also he commenced a copious 
journal, noting down in pencil marks whatever, 
interested him, designing to expand and perfect 
them in his intervals of leisure. 

His journey from Bordeaux to Paris was 
quite circuitous, and somewhat eventful. He | 
starts off in the old, cumbersome French " dili- 
gence," and the route is up along the banks of 
the Garonne. Among his fellow-travelers is a 
" little doctor," an American, brimful of anima- 
tion, and overflowing with good nature and talk, 
knowing every thing, and with whom embassa- 
dors, consuls, etc., were intimate acquaintances. 
This new acquaintance, being an experienced 
traveler, proved to be frequently useful to Irv- 
ing, as well as "a continual fund of amusement," 
and on parting with him at Meze, he at once 
began to realize the loss thus sustained. With 
much pleasure, however, he encounters the 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 33 

" little doctor " again at Montpelier, and re- 
marks : " I shall travel in company with him, 
and by that means be protected from extortion. 
I find he is a more important character than I 
at first supposed." 

From Marseilles the two travelers journeyed 
on together to Nice, where, after a miserable 
" red-tape " detention of five weeks, Irving 
sailed to Genoa. Here he saluted with great 
delight an old acquaintance and friend from 
New York. " You," he writes to a friend at 
home, "who have never been from home in a 
land of strangers and for some time without 
friends, cannot conceive the joy, the rapture of 
meeting with a favorite companion in a distant 
part of the world." 

Genoa proved to Irving a sunny and delight- 
ful haven, and especially after so many difficul- 
ties and detentions in reaching it. Here he 
seems to have gained access to the most ^ 1o - 
vated and refined society, contracted many 
valuable friendships, and, as may be reasonably 
supposed, was a special favorite among the 
more gay and fashionable circles of that re- 
nowned city. Weeks and months he lingered 

amid these pleasant associations, and expresses 
3 



34 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

himself as so far from being weary, that he 
every day became more and more delighted 
with his sojourn there. Meantime " health," he 
writes, "has new-strung my limbs, and en- 
dowed me with an elasticity of spirits that gilds 
every scene with sunshine, and heightens every 
enjoyment."* 

Irving now embarked for Sicily, leaving 
" sweet Genoa and all its friendly inhabitants 
behind" him. Arriving, he visited several of 
the principal cities of that famous island. 
Touching at Messina, he sailed to Syracuse, 
and having, among other curious objects, visited 
the famous " Ear of Dionysius the Tyrant," he 
journeyed north to Catania, and ascended 
Mount Etna as far as his guide would accom- 
pany him. Thence, by a dismal journey across 
the island, he visited Palermo, and then em- 
barked for Naples. Arriving there, he found, 

* A singular faculty this young gentleman must certainly 
have possessed of introducing himself into the higher circles 
of society wherever he travels. That this should have been 
altogether facile and natural after he had become famous in 
authorship is easy to perceive ; but how, as an unknown and 
untitled young stranger, he secured such an advantage is more 
mysterious. He seems from the very outset to have walked 
up among the nobles of every land he visits as if he were one 
of them and " to the manor born." 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 35 

to his great delight, an abundance of letters 
from home. Some interesting friends also 
greeted him here, with a party of whom he 
made a night visit to Vesuvius, at that time in 
a state of eruption, and came near being over- 
whelmed with " dense torrents of the most nox- 
ious smoke." The crowd and bustle of Naples 
was not to the taste of our traveler, and he 
gladly bade it adieu that he might " repose 
himself in the silent retreats of Rome." Here, 
also, he found several of his countrymen, among 
whom was Washington Allston, the artist. 

Allston was a native of South Carolina, born 
in 1779. He was a slender child, and his parents 
were advised to send him North to enjoy its 
more bracing airs. He was, accordingly sent to 
Newport, R. I., at seven years of age, and placed 
at school, where he continued for ten years. 
He early evinced a genius for painting, receiving 
some aid and encouragement from a Mr. King, 
who had enjoyed a partial artistic education. A 
more important acquaintance formed by young 
Allston was Edward Malbone, a native of New- 
port, who evinced much promise as a miniature 
painter. These two youths seemed to have 
formed a mutual friendship ; and Malbone after- 



36 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

ward residing in Boston while Allston was 
in college at Harvard, their intimacy was con- 
tinued through a series o( years. From Mal- 
bone Allston derived much advantage in his 
earlier efforts as an artist. His leisure was 
occupied with sketches, copying, and drawing ; 
and. though having but few helps, he soon at- 
tained a wonderful degree of knowledge in the 
higher elements of the painting art. On his 
graduation he returned to his home in the 
South, where he found his friend Malbone 
occupied with the practice of his art ; and, 
shortly afterward, the two friends embarked for 
London with a view o{ improving themselves in 
art studies. Allston at once entered the Royal 
Academy as a student, and became intimate 
with the artist, Benjamin West. Here he de- 
voted himself for several years, and with great 
diligence and success, to artistic studies. It 
was here that Irving and Allston first met, and 
ime attached to each other in warm and 
life-long friendship. Allston was three or four 
nor of Irving, and the latter de- 
scribes his friend as being peculiarly agreeable 
— having a form light and graceful, large blue 
eves, black silken hair, " waving and curling 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 37 

around a pale, expressive countenance." He 
adds that every thing about him bespoke the 
man of intellect and refinement. His conversa- 
tion was copious, animated, and highly graphic, 
warmed by a genial sensibility and benevolence, 
and enlivened by a chaste and gentle humor.* 

It is a curious fact that living's intimate asso- 
ciation with Allston, joined with the beautiful 
Italian scenery, pictures, statuary, fountains, and 
gardens, had at this time well-nigh influenced 
him to turn his attention to painting, and, like 
his friend, devote himself to it as a life pursuit 
But a wise Providence seems to have overruled 
this arrangement that he might become a mas- 
ter in a different department of the world of art. 
" My lot in life," said he, " was differently cast. 
Doubts and fears gradually clouded over my 
prospect ; the rainbow tints faded away ; I began 
to apprehend a sterile reality ; so I gave up the 

* Allston subsequently spent several year3 in Italy — returned 
home in 1809, married a sister of Dr. Channing, and returned 
to London, where he resided for a term of years and executed 
many paintings of distinguished excellence. Returning to the 
United States in 181S, he passed the remainder of his life in 
Boston and Cambridge in slender health, yet exercising as 
he was able his cherished art. His principal work, however, 
" Belshazzar's Feast," he left unfinished, and died in 1848 at 
the age of sixty-four. 



38 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

transient but delightful prospect of remaining 
in Rome with Allston and turning painter." 

Before leaving Rome Irving made the ac- 
quaintance of Madame de Stael, whom he de- 
scribes as a woman of great strength of mind 
and understanding, and was " astounded at the 
amazing flow of her conversation." This dis- 
tinguished lady was a native of Paris, born in 
1766, and was, consequently, not quite forty 
years old when Irving became acquainted with 
her at Rome. Her father, Baron de Necker, 
was a wealthy Swiss banker, whom she loved 
almost to idolatry. She was well educated, and, 
being early thrown into the society of distin- 
guished persons, she soon acquired the art of 
brilliant conversation which was so impressive 
and surprising to Irving, and for which she 
was excelled by no lady of her time. She early 
became an authoress, and when twenty-two 
years of age appeared her first work, " Letters 
on the Works and Character of Rousseau ;" 
which was highly eulogistic of that celebrated 
person. It was not till a year or two after Irv- 
ing's interview with her that she published the 
work on which her literary reputation mainly 
rests. This was her " Corinne," a work having 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 39 

some marked faults, yet full of elegant descrip- 
tions of the scenery, manners, and art of the 
classic land of Italy. This work was at once 
immensely popular, and was soon translated 
into all the European languages, and won for 
the fair authoress a wide-spread reputation.* 

Mr. Irving now left Rome on his route to 
Paris, and reached that city after a journey 
occupying about six weeks. Here he continued 
four months ; and from a few entries in his 
journal we may infer that while he professed to 
his brother a desire to profit by the literary 
and scientific advantages presented to him 
there, he was fully as earnest after lighter pur- 

* Many other works came from the graceful and facile pen 
of Madame de Stael, and her fame and influence became very 
extensive. For a time she favored the French Revolution ; 
but as it progressed, and more and more developed its cruel and 
bloody character, her womanly nature revolted against it. 
She was horror-struck at the murder of the King and Queen. 
As Xapoleon arose into power she was his inveterate opposer. 
He attempted to gain her over to his cause ; but failing, and 
dreading her influence, he banished her from France. During 
her exile she traveled over many of the countries of Europe, 
and her pen, meanwhile, was active. On the fall of Bona- 
parte she returned to Pari?, and died there in 1S17. She 
was twice married ; first, to Baron de Stael Holstein, Swedish 
Minister to the French Court ; and afterward, secretly, to 
Iff. de Rocca, a French officer. She was the mother of four 
children. 



40 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

suits. The theater, opera, and the dance 
were amusements to which he was evidently 
much devoted. His journalistic pencilings 
grew increasingly meager and unsatisfactory, 
and finally ceased entirely ; while the im- 
pressions of Paris upon his youthful and 
ardent mind seem to have been as vivid as 
they were fascinating and beautiful. For 
" pleasure and amusements " it was a place the 
most favorable and attractive in the world. 
Climate, theaters, operas, walks, "people, per- 
fect liberty of private conduct," all were ad- 
mirably adapted to pleasure and gayety. Ay, 
and admirably adapted too, we fear, to beguile 
young men away from correct principles, and 
from lives of respectability and virtue. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 41 



CHAPTER V. 

A FTER four months' residence in Paris, 
*^*- where he had improved himself very con- 
siderably in his knowledge of the French lan- 
guage, and had become partially satiated with 
the endless round of amusements so bountifully 
afforded by that dissipated metropolis, Irving, 
in company with two American friends, de- 
parted, for London. Their route lay through 
Brussels and Maestricht to Rotterdam, they 
pausing a day or two at each of these cities, 
and contemplating with deep interest the pro- 
digious contrast between the Frenchman and 
the Hollander in appearance, houses, manners, 
language, and tastes. 

From Rotterdam they came by packet to the 
mouth of the Thames, whence, by post-chaise, 
they passed up to London. Our traveler at 
once adapted his dress to his new situation, 
secured eligible and comfortably furnished 
lodgings partially retired from the bustle and 
confusion of the city, yet near many desirable 



42 Memoir of Washington Irving 






places of resort, among which the theaters are 
carefully included. Thus the theater is still 
prominent in the affections and plans of this 
youth, and his letters to one and another give 
full evidence of his absorbing interest in this 
class of amusements. He became deeply in- 
terested in the performers, their appearance, 
action, and general manners, entering into 
somewhat minute descriptions of them, and 
presenting various criticisms, and such as be- 
tray his devotion to theatrical amusements. 

It was now that Irving saw and heard for 
the first time the famous Mrs. Siddons, one of 
the most distinguished actresses of that day. 
Here he is full and overflowing with enthusi- 
asm. He fears to give expression to all his 
emotions. She is a wonderful woman. Her 
looks, voice, gestures, all go directly to his 
heart, which is frozen and melted by turns, and 
his frame is thrilled through and through, even 
with a single glance or gesture. He admires 
her the more the more he sees her ; he hardly 
breathes when she is upon the stage, and she 
overwhelms him till he is a mere child.* 



* Mrs. Siddons was of a distinguished family of actors. She 
was daughter of Roger Kemble, was born in Wales in 1755, 



i 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 43 

Mr. Irving seems to have made compara- 
tively few acquaintances in London ; and, hav- 
ing made a brief excursion to Oxford, Bath, and 
Bristol, he, after a sojourn of three months in 
the land of his forefathers, embarked at Graves- 
end for New York, where he arrived after an 
absence of twenty-two months. He returned 
home with restored health and in excellent 
spirits, and resumed, after his manner, the 
study of law. 

From the picture of Washington Irving's life 
and habits about this time, as drawn by him- 
self, he seems to have been a somewhat " fast 
, young man," and, in association with several 

> and was bred to the stage. She was at eighteen years of age 
married to a young actor, Mr. Siddons, and for thirty years 
was queen of the stage. Irving's description of her power 
accords with all reports of her wonderful acting. " She ap- 
peared," says Hazlitt, " to belong to a superior order of 
beings — to be surrounded with a personal awe like some 
prophetess of old." "It was in bursts of indignation or 
grief, in sudden exclamations, in apostrophes and inarticulate 

' sounds, that she raised the soul of passion to its height or 

. sunk it in despair." 

It is said that so complete was her stage abstraction that 

i the very actors performing with her have been known to 
shrink with terror from her fierce disdain or withering scorn. 

[She was greatly esteemed in all the relations of life. She 

idied in London in 1831, at the age of seventy-six, the same 
age of Irving's decease. 



/ 



44 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

other cheerful and jovial spirits, indulged him- 
self now and then in gayeties and convivialities 
hardly consistent with a genuine circumspec- 
tion and sobriety of conduct. In November 
following his return from Europe, and at twen- 1 
ty-three years of age, he was admitted to the 
bar, though sadly deficient in legal lore." But 
he seems never to have entered on the practice | 
of the profession, and, within a month or two 
after his admission to the bar, he, in connection 
with his brother William and James K. Pauld- 
ing, projected a periodical publication, to be 
entitled Salmagundi. This paper seems to 
have been issued once in two or three weeks, 
comprised twenty numbers, and continued to 
be issued through one year. Irving and Pauld- 
ing appear to have shared about equally in the 
making up of the paper, the part of William 
Irving in the enterprise being somewhat sub- 
ordinate. The writers appeared under fictitious! 
names, and the compositions were characterized! 
by wit, drollery, and satire, while the sensation 
among New York circles, produced by the sev-!j 
eral issues, was said to be intense, and its suc- 
cess was decided. Why it was so soon and, 
suddenly discontinued, and the enterprise 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 45 

abandoned, is not very apparent, while its early 
death seems not to have been in accordance 
with the wishes and plans of Irving. The work 
has, by able critics, been pronounced a produc- 
tion of more than ordinary merit, and one 
writer represents it as the literary parent not 
only of the Sketch Book and the Alhambra, 
: but of all the intermediate and subsequent pro- 
1 ductions of Irving. Mr. Irving himself, how- 
i ever, failed to acquiesce in these and similar 
' sentiments touching this literary effort of his 
: youth, and in his maturer years valued himself 
' but slightly for his share in it. " The work," 
, he writes to a friend, " was pardonable as a ju- 
: venile production ; but it is full of errors, puer- 
ilities, and imperfections, and I was in hopes it 
would gradually have gone down to oblivion." 



46 Memoir of Washington Irving. 



CHAPTER VI. 

T) UT a specimen or two of Salmagundi we 
•*-' must endeavor to rescue from immediate 
" oblivion," if only to present a slight picture of! 
Irving when his pen was wielded by him in the? 
freshness of his youth. 

"Anthony Green, Gent," is one of Irving's 
assumed names in these compositions, and An-1 
thony thus dresses up Will Wizard for attend- 
ance at a ball : 

" On calling for Will in the evening I found 
him full dressed, waiting for me. I contem- 
plated him with absolute dismay. As he still, 
retained a spark of regard for the lady who 
once reigned in his affections, he had been at 
unusual pains in decorating his person, and 
broke upon my sight arrayed in the true style 
that prevailed among our beaux some years, 
ago. His hair was turned up and tufted at the ■ 
top, frizzled out at the ears, a profusion of pow-4 
der purled over the whole, and a long plaited 
club swung gracefully from shoulder to shoul- • 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 47 

der, describing a pleasing semicircle of powder 
and pomatum. His claret-colored coat was 
decorated with a profusion of gilt buttons, and 
reached to his calves. His white kerseymere 
small-clothes were so tight that he seemed to 
have grown up in them ; and his ponderous 
legs, which are the thickest part of his body, 
were beautifully clothed in sky-blue silk stock- 
ings, once considered so becoming ; but, above 
all, he prided himself upon his waistcoat of 
China silk, which might almost have served a 
good housewife for a short gown ; and he 
boasted that the roses and tulips upon it were 
the work of Hang-Fou, daughter of the great 
Chin-Chin-Fou, who had fallen in love with the 
graces of his person, and sent it to him as a 
parting present." 

" Will Wizard's " dancing is pictured thus : 
"The music struck up from an adjoining apart- 
jment, and summoned the company to the dance. 
The sound seemed to have an inspiring effect 
on honest Will, and he procured the hand of 
an old acquaintance for a country dance. It 
.happened to be the fashionable one of " The 
Devil among the Tailors," which is so vocifer- 
ously demanded at every ball and assembly ; 



48 Memoir of WasJiington Irving. 

and many a torn garment and many an unfor- 
tunate toe did rue the dancing of that night, 
for Will thundered down the dance like a coach 
and six, sometimes right, sometimes wrong ; 
now running over half a score of little French- 
men, and now making sad inroads into the 
ladies' cobweb muslins and spangled tails. As 
every part of Will's body partook of the exer- 
tion, he shook from his capacious head such 
volumes of powder that, like pious ^Eneas on the 
first interview of Queen Dido, he might be said 
to have been enveloped in a cloud. Nor was 
Will's partner an insignificant figure in the 
scene ; she was a young lady of most volumin- 
ous proportions that quivered at every skip, 
and, being braced up in the fashionable styk 
with whalebone, stay-tape, and buckram, lookec 
like an apple-pudding tied in the middle ; or, 
taking her flaming dress into consideration, likt 
a bed and bolsters rolled up in a suit of rec 
curtains." 

We add one or two extracts from the descrip- 
tion of " Charity Cockloft : " 

" My Aunt Charity departed this life in th( 
fifty-ninth year of her age, though she never 
grew older after twenty-five. In her teens she 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 49 

was, according to her own account, a celebrated 
beauty, though I never could meet with any 
body that remembered when she was handsome. 
On the contrary, Evergreen's father, who used to 
gallant her in his youth, says she was as knotty 
a little piece of humanity as he ever saw ; and 
that, if she had been possessed of the least 
sensibility, she would, like poor old Acco, have 
most certainly run mad at her own figure and 
face the first time she contemplated herself in 
a looking-glass. 

" It is rather singular that my aunt, though a 
great beauty, and an heiress withal, never got 
married. The reason she alleged was that she 
never met with a lover who resembled Sir 
Charles Grandison, the hero of her nightly 
dreams and waking fancy ; but I am privately 
of opinion that it was owing to her never having 
had an offer. This much is certain, that for 
many years previous to her decease she declined 
all attentions from the gentlemen, and contented 
herself with watching over the welfare of her 
fellow-creatures. She was, indeed, observed to 
I take a considerable leaning toward Methodism, 
i was frequent in her attendance at love-feasts, 
read Whitefield and Wesley, and even went so 



50 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

far as once to travel the distance of five- 
and-twenty miles to be present at a camp- 
meeting. This gave great offense to my 
Cousin Christopher and his good lady, who, as 
I have already mentioned, are rigidly orthodox ; 
and, had not my Aunt Charity been of a most 
pacific disposition, her religious whim-wham 
would have occasioned many a family alter- 
cation. 

" But the truth must be told ; with all her 
good qualities my Aunt Charity was afflicted 
with one fault, extremely rare among her gentle 
sex — it was curiosity. How she came by it I 
am at a loss to imagine ; but it played the very 
vengeance with her, and destroyed the comfort 
of her life. Having an invincible desire to 
know everybody's character, business, and mode 
of living, she was forever prying into the affairs 
of her neighbors, and got a great deal of ill- 
will from people toward whom she had the 
kindest disposition possible. If any family on 
the opposite side of the street gave a dinner, 
my aunt would mount her spectacles and sil 
at the window until the company were all 
housed, merely that she might know who they 
were. If she heard a story about any of her 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 5 1 

acquaintance she would forthwith set off full 
sail, and never rest until, to use her usual 
expression, she had got " to the bottom of it," 
which meant nothing more than telling it to 
every body she knew. 



52 Memoir of Washington Irving. 



CHAPTER VII. 

QHORTLY after the Salmagundi papers 
^* ceased to be issued, a literary work of 
greater pretensions, and destined to a far 
greater fame, began to employ the pen of Irv- 
ing. The conception was that of a burlesque 
and humorous history of New York, and in 
the commencement of the composition his 
brother Peter was associated with him in the 
enterprise. Circumstances, however, rendering 
it inconvenient for his brother to continue his 
assistance, the entire preparation of the work 
devolved upon Washington, who brought it to a 
conclusion, and gave it to the publisher in the 
fall of 1809, and when its author was twenty- 
six years of age. 

This remarkable book, like all the subse- 
quent works of Irving, is too well known to need 
a word of remark or criticism here. A contem- 
poraneous and able notice of the work pro- 
nounced it the wittiest that had ever been issued 
from the American press. Of course it was a ; 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 53 

positive success, and its author at once became 
famous. 

The " History " purported to be the work of a 
little dried up, quaint, and mysterious old gen- 
tleman — Diedrich Knickerbocker by name. He 
was dressed in an old shabby black coat and 
cocked hat, a pair of olive velvet breeches, with 
silver shoe-buckles, and was set down by his 
landlady as a country school-master. He had 
been a lodger, as it was further purported, at 
the " Columbian Hotel, Mulberry-street, New 
York," and, suddenly disappearing, had left 
behind him in his room, however, the manu- 
script of the famous " History," which was 
represented as being published to defray the 
expense of his hotel lodgings. 

The work abounds in humor and drollery from 
beginning to end, and in this respect is excelled 
by few if any works of a similar character and 
aim that were ever published. Blackwood's 
Magazine, noticing the book several years after 
its first appearance, affirmed that the matter of 
the work would preserve its character of value 
long after the lapse of time had blunted the 
edge of the personal allusions, and that its author 
was " by far the greatest genius which had ap- 



54 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

peared upon the literary horizon of the New 
World ! " Edward Everett, in the North Ameri- 
can Review, pronounced it " a book of unweary- 
ing pleasantry, which, instead of flashing out, as 
English and American humor is wont, from time 
to time, with long and dull intervals, is kept up 
with a true French vivacity from beginning to 
end." Sir Walter Scott, receiving a copy of the 
" History" from a friend of Irving, in acknowl- 
edging the present adds, among other things, 
" I have been employed these few evenings in 
reading it aloud to Mrs. Scott, and two other 
ladies who are guests, and our sides have been 
absolutely sore with laughing." 

The style of the work is entirely characteristic, 
and differs little from that of the author's subse- 
quent works. It is easy, simple, flowery, spark- 
ling with vivacity, brilliant with imagery, and 
not sparing in classical and historical allusions, 
some of which are of a character that sets us 
wondering where and when this youth of twenty- 
six years, and partially " uneducated," could 
have acquired the learning with which he seems 
to have been so familiar. The various portraits 
of men and manners are, of course, of a burlesque 
and exaggerated character; while yet they are: 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 55 

valuable as affording us a glimpse, at least, of 
the social scenery of the good old times of the 
" Dutch Dynasty." 

It is a curious and laughable fact that some 
of the old families of Dutch descent seem for a 
time to have taken this book in high dudgeon, 
being deeply incensed at the caricatures which 
it appeared to comprise of one and another of 
their venerated ancestors. So profound, in one 
instance, was this feeling, that Mr. Irving being 
at Albany soon after its publication, and receiv- 
ing many attentions and civilities there, one 
lady, however, was of a very different bearing 
toward him and declared that if she were a 
man she would horsewhip him ! Irving on 
hearing of this was greatly amused, and forth- 
with sought an introduction to the lady. 
She received him with great coldness ; but 
before the interview ended she became en- 
tirely mollified, and the two were excellent 
friends. 

Irving seems to have realized, subsequently, 
the delicate character of the ground he was 
traversing in this famous " History," and re- 
marked to a friend that "> it was a confounded 
impudent thing in such a youngster as I was to 



56 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

be meddling in this way with old family names ; 
but I did not dream of offense." 

The truth seems to have been that in con- 
structing his work the author rallied together 
indiscriminately all the old Dutch names that 
he had ever read or heard of, and invented a 
host of others besides that were new to every 
one, and wove them into his work without the 
slightest personal allusion in a single instance. 
He doubtless supposed that an antiquity of two 
centuries, equivalent to thrice that amount of 
time in old countries, would avail to place his 
several characters at a distance too remote for 
any criticism or blame connected with such a 
work as his, arising from any family pride of 
ancestry. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 57 



CHAPTER VIII. 

W 7"E. devote a brief chapter to one or two 
' * extracts from the " History of New York." 
The following is a description of one of the 
Dutch Governors : 

" The renowned Wouter (or Walter) Van T wil- 
ier was descended from a long line of Dutch 
burgomasters who had successively dozed away 
their lives and grown fat upon the bench of 
magistracy in Rotterdam, and who had com- 
ported themselves with such singular wisdom 
and propriety that they were never either heard 
or talked of; which, next to being universally 
applauded, should be the object of ambition of 
all magistrates and rulers. There are two oppo- 
site ways by which some men make a figure in 
the world : one, by talking faster than they think ; 
and the other, by holding their tongues and not 
thinking at all. By the first, many a smatterer 
acquires the reputation of a man of quick parts ; 
by the other, many a dunderpate, like the owl, 
the stupidest of birds, comes to be considered 



58 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

the very type of wisdom. This, by the way, is 
a casual remark, which I would not for the uni- 
verse have it thought I apply to Governor Van 
Twiller. It is true he was a man shut up within 
himself, like an oyster, and rarely spoke except 
in monosyllables ; but then it was allowed he 
seldom said a foolish thing. So invincible was 
' his gravity that he was never known to laugh, 
or even to smile, through the whole course of a 
long and prosperous life. Nay, if a joke were 
uttered in his presence that set light-minded 
hearers in a roar, it was observed to throw him 
into a state of perplexity. Sometimes he would 
deign to inquire into the matter and when, 
after much explanation, the joke was made as 
plain as a pike-staff, he would continue to smoke 
his pipe in silence, and at length, knocking out 
the ashes, would exclaim, ' Well ! I see nothing 
in all that to laugh about.' 

" With all his reflective habits he never made 
up his mind on a subject. His adherents ac- 
counted for this by the astonishing magnitude 
of his ideas. He conceived every subject on so 
grand a scale that he had not room in his head 
to turn it over and examine both sides of it. 
Certain it is that if any matters were propounded 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 59 

to him on which ordinary mortals would rashly 
determine at first glance, he would put on a 
vague, mysterious look, shake his capacious head, 
smoke some time in profound silence, and at 
length observe that ' he had his doubts about 
the matter ; ' which gained him the reputation 
of a man slow of belief and not easily imposed 
upon. What is more, it gained him a lasting 
name ; for to this habit of the mind has been 
attributed his surname of Twiller, which is said 
to be a corruption of the original Twijfler, or, in 
plain English, Doubter. 

" The person of this illustrious old gentleman 
was formed and proportioned as though it had 
been molded by the hands of some cunning 
Dutch statuary as a model of majesty and 
lordly grandeur. He was exactly five feet six 
inches in height, and six feet five inches in cir- 
cumference. His head was a perfect sphere, 
and of such stupendous dimensions that Dame 
Nature with all her sex's ingenuity, would have 
been puzzled to construct a neck capable of 
supporting it ; wherefore she wisely declined 
the attempt, and settled it firmly on the top of 
his back bone, just between the shoulders. His 
body was oblong, and particularly capacious at 



60 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

bottom, which was wisely ordered by Providence, 
seeing that he was a man of sedentary habits, 
and very averse to the idle labor of walking. 
His legs were short, but sturdy in proportion to 
the weight they had to sustain ; so that when 
erect he had not a little the appearance of a beer 
barrel on skids. His face, that infallible index 
of the mind, presented a vast expanse, un- 
furrowed by any of those lines and angles which 
disfigure the human countenance with what 
is termed expression. Two small gray eyes 
twinkled feebly in the midst, like two stars of 
lesser magnitude in a hazy firmament ; and his 
full-fed cheeks, which seemed to have taken toll 
of every thing that went into his mouth, were 
curiously mottled and streaked with dusky red, 
like a Spitzenberg apple." 

The successor of Walter the Doubter is thus 
described : 

"Wilhelmus Kieft, who, in 1634, ascended the 
gubernatorial chair, was of a lofty descent, 
his father being inspector of wind -mills in the 
ancient town of Saardam ; and our hero, we are 
told, when a boy, made very curious investiga- 
tions into the nature and operations of these 
machines, which was one reason why he came 



Memoir of Washington Irving, 61 

to be Governor. His name, according to the most 
authentic etymologists, was a corruption of 
kyver, that is to say, a wrangler or scolder, and 
expressed the characteristic of his family, which 
for nearly two centuries had kept the windy 
town of Saardam in hot water, and produced 
more tartars and brimstones than any ten fami- 
lies in the place ; and so truly did he inherit 
this family peculiarity that he had not been a 
year in the government of the province before 
he was universally denominated William the 
Testy. His appearance answered to his name. 
He was a brisk, wiry, waspish little old gentle- 
man ; such a one as may now and then be seen 
stamping about our city in a broad-skirted coat 
with huge buttons, a cocked hat stuck on the 
back of his head, and a cane as high as his 
chin. His face was broad, but his features were 
sharp ; his cheeks were scorched into a dusky 
red by two fiery little gray eyes ; his nose turned 
up, and the corners of his mouth turned down, 
pretty much like the muzzle of an irritable dog." 

The well-dressed lady of the golden age of the 
Dutch dynasty is thus presented : 

" A fine lady in those times waddled under 
more clothes, even on a fair summer's day, than 



62 Memoir of Washington Irving. 






would have clad the whole bevy of a modern 
ball-room. Nor were they the less admired by 
the gentlemen in consequence thereof. On the 
contrary, the greatness of a lover's passion 
seemed to increase in proportion to the magni- 
tude of its object ; and a voluminous damsel, 
arrayed in a dozen of petticoats, was declared by 
a Low Dutch sonneteer of the province to be radi- 
ant as a sun-flower, and luxuriant as a full-blown 
cabbage. Certain it is that in those days the 
heart of a lover could not contain more than one 
lady at a time ; whereas the heart of a modern 
gallant has often room enough to accommodate 
half a dozen. The reason of which I conclude 
to be, that either the hearts of the gentlemen 
have grown larger, or the persons of the ladies 
smaller ; this, however, is a question for physi- 
ologists to determine." 

The " truly fashionable gentleman " of those 
days is presented as follows : 

" His dress, which served for both morning 
and evening, street and drawing-room, was a 
linsey-woolsey coat, made perhaps by the fair 
hands of the mistress of his affections, and gal- 
lantly bedecked with abundance of large brass 
buttons ; half a score of breeches heightened the 



i 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 63 

proportions of his figure ; his shoes were dec- 
orated by enormous copper buckles ; a low- 
crowned, broad-rimmed hat overshadowed his 
burly visage, and his hair dangled down his back 
in a prodigious queue of eel-skin. 

" Thus equipped, he would manfully sally forth 
with pipe in mouth to besiege some fair damsel's 
obdurate heart — not such a pipe, good reader, 
as that which Acis did sweetly tune in praise of 
his Galatsea, but one of true Delft manufacture, 
and furnished with a charge of fragrant tobacco. 
With this he would resolutely set himself down 
before the fortress, and rarely failed, in the 
process of time, to smoke the fair enemy into 
surrender." 

We have the following picture of the Puritan 
New Englanders, a " horde of strange barba- 
rians bordering upon the eastern frontier." 

" Now it so came to pass that many years 
previous to the time of which we are treating 
the sage cabinet of England had adopted a 
certain national creed, a kind of public walk of 
faith, or rather a religious turnpike, in which 
every loyal subject was directed to travel to 
i Zion, taking care to pay the toll-gatherers by 
the way. 



64 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

" Albeit a certain shrewd race of men, being 
very much given to indulge their own opinions 
on all manner of subjects, (a propensity exceed- 
ingly offensive to your governments of Europe,) 
did most presumptuously dare to think for 
themselves in matters of religion, exercising 
what they considered a natural and unextin- 
guishable right, the liberty of conscience. 

" As, however, they possessed that ingenuous 
habit of mind which always thinks aloud, which 
rides cock-a-hoop on the tongue and is forever 
galloping into other people's ears, it naturally 
followed that their liberty of conscience likewise 
implied liberty of speech, which, being freely in- 
dulged, soon put the country in a hubbub, and 
aroused the pious indignation of the vigilant 
fathers of the Church. 

" The usual methods were adopted to reclaim 
them which, in those days, were considered 
efficacious in bringing back stray sheep to the 
fold ; that is to say, they were coaxed, they 
were admonished, they were menaced, they 
were buffeted — line upon line, precept upon 
precept, lash upon lash, here a little, there a 
great deal — were exhorted without mercy, and 
without success — until the worthy Pastors of 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 65 

the Church, wearied out by their unparalleled 
stubbornness, were driven, in the excess of 
their tender mercy, to adopt the Scripture text, 
and literally to heap live embers on their 
heads. 

" Nothing, however, could subdue that inde- 
pendence of the tongue which has ever distin- 
guished this singular race, so that, rather than 
subject that heroic member to further tyranny, 
they one and all embarked for the wilderness 
of America to enjoy unmolested the inestima- 
ble right of talking ; and, in fact, no sooner did 
they land upon the shore of this free-spoken 
country than they all lifted up their voices and 
made such a clamor of tongues that we are 
told they frightened every bird and beast out 
of the neighborhood, and struck such mute ter- 
ror into certain fish that they have been called 
dumb-fish ever since. 

" This may appear marvelous, but it is never- 
theless true ; in proof of which I would observe 
that the dnmb-fisJi has ever since become an 
object of superstitious reverence, and forms the 
Saturday's dinner of every true Yankee. 

" The simple aborigines of the land for a 
while looked upon these strange folk in utter 



66 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

astonishment, but discovering that they wielded 
harmless though noisy weapons, and were a 
lively, ingenious, good-humored race of men, 
they became very friendly and sociable, and 
gave them the name of Yanokies, which in the 
Mais-Tchusaeg (or Massachusetts) language 
signifies silent men, a waggish appellation, since 
shortened into the familiar epithet of Yankees, 
which they retain unto the present day." 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 67 



CHAPTER IX. 

IT may appear remarkable that so decided a 
literary and financial success as the " His- 
tory of New York," joined with the fact of the 
author's youth, should not have immediately 
stimulated him to renewed and active enter- 
prise in authorship. 

One secret of all this was a seemingly curi- 
ous blending in his nature of sprightliness and 
activity with a species of careless indolence. 
He belonged not to that class of writers who, 
in the language of Dr. Johnson, "set them- 
selves doggedly" to the use of the pen. He 
was more a creature of impulse, of " frames and 
feelings." He had a horror of being obliged to 
use his pen. He coveted to write as a man of 
leisure, and dreaded the idea of dependence 
upon authorship for a livelihood. He loved to 
write under a sort of inspiration ; be hated 
composition as a task. But there was another, 
and probably a deeper, reason for the pause of 



68 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

his pen as the final page of the " History " was 
written. 

It is well known that Washington Irving 
lived and died a bachelor. But, to use an ex- 
pression of his own, he "was never intended 
for " such a life ; and with this sentiment, so 
frankly avowed by himself, all who have famil- 
iarized themselves with the man through his 
writings will be inclined to acquiesce. It 
would be judged through this medium that no 
one was more fitted for the duties and happi- 
ness of domestic life than he. His respect and 
esteem for the fair sex were sincere and pro- 
found ; and it is easy to see that he was with 
ladies a universal favorite. Handsome in form 
and in feature, of warm and genial tempera- 
ment, naturally graceful in movement and man- 
ners, eminently social, and possessing conver- 
sational powers as remarkable as they were 
animated and fascinating, with fine intellectual 
faculties and accomplishments, with an acknowl- 
edged genius in authorship even in his youth, 
and challenging for himself a reputation for 
uprightness and virtue without a blemish, it 
could not be otherwise than that this refined 
young gentleman would be an object of interest 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 69 

and attraction in the eyes of more than one of 
the elegant ladies with whom it was his life- 
long habit to associate. 

One of these, indeed, he loved, and was be- 
loved in return. Precisely how long this mutual 
attachment had existed does not appear ; but it 
was an established fact about the time of the 
completion of the Knickerbocker history. The 
young lady, Matilda Hoffman, was a daughter 
of the gentleman in whose office Irving had 
pursued his law studies, and the plans and 
hopes of the young couple seem to have met 
the approval of their respective family circles. 

But in the midst of all their bright hopes and 
anticipations Matilda Hoffman sickened and 
died, in her eighteenth year, and left her lover 
broken-hearted, and " the dearest hope of his 
life was forever overthrown." So unspeakable 
and profound was his sorrow that he almost 
never spoke of it, nor spoke nor alluded to the 
precious name of his lost Matilda. Nor from 
all his voluminous writings could it be gathered 
that such an attachment had ever existed ; and 
many a one that saw and knew the man only 
in his writings has felt that he was, indeed, 
" not intended for a bachelor," and wondered 



JO Memoir of Washington Irving. 

that his genial and apparently sunny life thus 
glided away in solitude. But we know not his 
whole heart, nor discern the beautiful image 
that was early buried there, and which no sub- 
sequent vision of loveliness and goodness could 
ever displace. 

Under such circumstances how increasingly 
admirable appear the life and career of Irving ! 
Thousands under a similar adversity have 
drooped and fainted, and all the sunshine of 
their life was lost in cold and dire eclipse, and 
they never took hold of strength more, and thus 
were numbered among the lost lives. Not so 
with the subject of this story. He mourned 
deeply — mourned, perchance, through all his 
affluence of humor, blithesomeness, and gayety, 
and, for aught we know, his inmost heart was 
bleeding even when penning some one of his 
most cheery and enlivening sentiments. It may 
have been amid the " shadow of death " that he 
dispensed for the delight of thousands some of 
the sunniest and most sparkling and sprightly 
pictures ; and that half century of years from his 
Matilda's death to his own were, doubtless, lonely 
years — too lonely that any spirit of earth, how- 
ever lovely, beautiful, and good, should ever 






Memoir of Washington Irving. Ji 

come to supply the fatal want, and, by her gen- 
tle touch, heal up the life-long wound. In his 
private record he writes, long after her decease, 
" She died in the beauty of her youth, and in 
my memory she will ever be young and beau- 
tiful." 

The early and dreadful shock thus received 
by Washington Irving, about the time of issuing 
his " History of New York," doubtless had its 
stunning and staggering influence. A great 
amazement came over him ; a " shadow of great 
darkness " fell upon him a calamity such as has 
overwhelmed and destroyed many a strong man 
confounded him ; and no wonder that his facile 
and beautiful pen dropped from his palsied hand, 
and that life henceforth became a different thing 
from what it had been before. 

Happy for himself and millions more that he 
rallied, that his head was uplifted amid the 
storm, and that, in the whirlwind and the blast- 
ing and overthrow, a soft voice of music yet 
whispered to him, Write ! But one and another 
untoward circumstance intervened, and it was 
long ere that " still, small voice " prevailed. 



72 Memoir of Washington Irving. 



CHAPTER X. 

QHORTLY after the publication of the 
^ " Knickerbocker History," Mr. Irving, at 
the solicitation of his two brothers, Peter and 
Ebenezer, entered into a kind of silent partner- 
ship with them, with the understanding that 
they were to be the active agents in the con- 
cern, while he, being thus provided with the 
means of subsistence, would be at liberty to 
engage, without distraction or care, in literary 
pursuits. 

During much time, however, he seems to 
have made little or no literary exertion, but 
gave himself up with a sort of abandon to social 
enjoyments. The winter following his business 
arrangement with his brothers certain interests 
of the company seemed to render it necessary 
that he should visit Washington. Here he re- 
mained till the close of the session in March, 
giving apparently but slight attention to busi- 
ness affairs, but devoting himself without re- 
serve to the festivities and gayeties of the 



Memoir of Washington Irving. y$ 

capital. His letters tell of " time passing de- 
lightfully ;" of dinings, balls, dances, levees, 
interesting men, fine women, and the like. 
Then for two years after this he is compara- 
tively idle, though favored with a situation the 
most auspicious for writing, and he is " settled 
down into a sort of gentleman of leisure — not 
neglectful of mental cultivation, it is true, yet 
mainly intent upon the pleasures and amuse- 
ments of the passing hour." 

For a year or two, however, subsequent to 
this unfruitful interval of his life, Mr. Irving was 
induced to assume editorial charge of a monthly 
periodical entitled " Select Reviews," and pub- 
lished in Philadelphia. Its name was subse- 
quently changed to " Analectic Review ;" and, 
during Irving' s superintendency of the periodi- 
cal, it was enriched with a goodly number of his 
contributions, comprising reviews and biographi- 
cal sketches. The employment, however, was 
not to his taste, the necessity of periodical writing 
being inconsistent with that perfect freedom, as 
to times and themes of composition, which he 
always so much coveted, and which seemed so 
necessary to a full and free exercise of his 
genius. 



74 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

In May, 1815, Mr. Irving embarked the second 
time for Europe, and arrived at Liverpool amid 
the rejoicings over the splendid victory of 
Waterloo. He expresses in a letter his regret 
at the hard fate of Napoleon, and thinks it " a 
thousand pities he had not fallen like a hero " 
in the great battle. 

At Liverpool he salutes, after seven years of 
separation, his brother Peter, who was acting as 
foreign partner in the company whose formation 
has been already noticed. " I found him," writes 
Washington to his brother Ebenezer, the home 
partner, "very comfortably situated, having 
handsomely furnished rooms, and keeping a 
horse, gig, and servant, but not indulging in any 
extravagance or dash." After a week's visit 
with Peter, he visits, at Birmingham, his sister, 
Mrs. Van Wart, who, together with her husband 
and children, were residing there, and whom he 
finds " in excellent health and spirits, and most 
delightfully situated in the vicinity of the town." 
He afterward goes on an excursion to Syden- 
ham, with a view to visit the poet Campbell. 
Not finding him at home, he spends an hour, 
however, in conversation with Mrs. Campbell, 
"a most engaging and interesting woman." 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 75 

Afterward he visits Kenilworth, Warwick, and 
Stratford-on-Avon, and views other interesting 
localities. 

Returning to Liverpool, the affairs of the 
company, by reason of a protracted illness of 
his brother, require his attention and assist- 
ance ; and, though averse to business, he for 
several months gives unremitting attention to 
the interests of the firm. Emerging at length 
from " the mud of Liverpool," and the " sordid 
cares of the counting-house," he revisits his 
sister at Birmingham, where he finds his brother 
Peter enfeebled and helpless by sickness. 
Owing to excessive purchases, and the failure, 
through adverse winds, of their goods to reach 
New York in season, the affairs of the company 
became straitened and miserably depressed. 
Nor was there a mere temporary depression, 
but it seems to have been protracted and dis- 
couraging, while its influence upon Irving' s 
mind was such as to incapacitate him for writ- 
ing, or for accomplishing for a time any of those 
favorite plans that had led him a second time 
over sea. Arriving in England in the sum- 
mer of 1 81 5, during the remainder of that 
year and the whole of the year following he 



j6 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

found himself entangled with the affairs of the 
company, now in a state of comparative embar- 
rassment. Yet these clouds of partial adversity 
seem to have been not without their chastening 
and salutary influence upon a mind whose 
hopes and anticipations were, perhaps, too 
buoyant and confiding. As the year i8i6drew 
toward its close we notice dripping from his pen 
such sentiments as these : 

" My own individual interests are nothing. 
The merest pittance would content me if I could 
crawl out from among these troubles and see my 
connections safe around me." This beautiful 
fraternal interest and affection seems to have 
been one of Irving's prominent characteristics, 
and in no department of his distinguished char- 
acter does he appear to greater advantage. 

In the same connection he writes again : " It 
is not long since I felt myself quite sure of for- 
tune's smiles, and began to entertain what I 
thought very sober and rational schemes for 
my future comfort and establishment. At 
present I feel so tempest-tossed and weather- 
beaten that I shall be content to be quits with 
fortune for a very moderate portion, and give 
up all my sober schemes as the dreams of fairy- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. J J 

land." Again, alluding to the blessings of 
" fortune," he adds : " I think I can enjoy them 
as well as most men. I shall not make myself 
unhappy if she (fortune) chooses to be scanty, 
and shall take the position allotted me with a 
cheerful and contented mind." 

If for fortune in these extracts we substitute 
a more Christian term, all appears sensible and 
well. It may be that Irving's mind was upon 
the Divine Providence in penning these senti- 
ments ; but if so, why does he not write as he 
means ? Why, alas ! will multitudes, in their 
language, recognize the gods of the heathen, 
which are no gods, instead of acknowledging 
that Divine Hand which is ever holding us up, 
and which is ever ready to lead us, if we will, 
along peaceful and prosperous paths ? He who 
talks of " fortune," " smiles of fortune," and 
"fortune showering blessings," and assigns to 
"fortune" sex, and superintendence over hu- 
man affairs — such a man talks arrant heathen- 
ism ; and, so far as his language is concerned, 
goes out from the light into outer darkness, and 
affiliates and grovels with the veriest pagans. 
If it be replied that such talkers and writers 
mean what is correct, then we ask again, Why 



7 8 Memoir of Washington I re in g. 

not say what they mean ? What is the neces- 
sity of resorting to heathenism for terms which, 
in themselves, are worse than nothing, when 
Christian language comprises an abundance of 
terms having the true meaning ? And who is 
so devoid of all sound philosophy as not to 
know that language deeply affects the mind and 
the belief. He who adopts a heathen terminol- 
ogy in reference to spiritual things is, ten to 
one, already more than half a heathen in his 
actual notions. Instead of drawing near to the 
true God, he is inhaling a Pagan atmosphere 
and stumbling on the dark mountains. " Com- 
mit thy ways unto the Lord, and thy thoughts 
shall be established." 

Bankruptcy soon ensued with the three 
brothers, which, though deeply afflictive to 
Washington, yet his distress was evidently more 
for his brothers than for himself. He seems 
glad to be rid, at almost any rate, of the busi- 
ness burdens which had for so long a time 
pressed heavily upon him. " I am eager," he 
writes, "to get from under this murky cloud 
before it completely withers and blights me. . . . 
A much longer continuance of such a situation 
would be my ruin." 



Memoir of Washington In: 79 

But a blessing comes -with the calamity, for 
under its influence he is drawn to a better faith, 
or, at least, to a better theology. " I trust in a 
kind Providence that shapes all things for the 
best, and yet I hope to find future good spring- 
ing out of these present adversities.*' 

Well said. You are right, young man, and 
according to your faith and hope it shall be 
done unto you. 



So Memoir of Washington Irving* 



CHAPTER XL 

r I ^HUS Washington Irving at thirty-four 
-*- years of age is a bankrupt. In this " low 
estate " he receives a remarkable letter from 
Mr. James Ogilvie,* dated at London, and of 
which the following: is an extract : 

" So far as you are individually concerned I 
should deem the language of condolence a sort 
of mockery. I am perfectly confident that even 
in two years you will look back on this seeming 
disaster as the most fortunate incident that has 

* Mr was a Scotchman of noble descent, and was, 

at the time of writing this letter, approaching sixty years of 
age. He had long before emigrated to this country, and, be- 
coming embarrassed, he founded a classical school at Rich- 
mond, Va., and many of his pupils became celebrated, among 
whom were such names as General Scott, Commodore ' 
W. S. Archer, and others- After several years he went to 
the backwoods of Kentucky, dwelt alone in a log-cabin, and 
composed there a series of deeply interesting lectures, which 
he delivered with great applause throughout the Atlantic 

His fame reached England, and, returning In- 
land, he on his way lectured in London, bu: 
The habitual use of narcotics ruined his intellect, and he is 
said to have perished by suicide in 1S20, about three years 
after penning his prophetic epistle to Irving. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. Si 

befallen you. Yet in the flower of youth, in pos- 
session of higher literary reputation than any of 
your countrymen have hitherto claimed, esteemed 
and beloved by all to whom you are intimately, 
or even casually, known, you want nothing but 
a stimulus strong enough to overcome that 
indolence which, in a greater or less degree, 
besets every human being. This seemingly 
unfortunate incident will supply this stimulus — 
you will return with renovated ardor to the 
arena you have for a season abandoned, and in 
twelve months win trophies for which, but for 
this incident, you would not even have con- 
tended." 

It is pleasant to notice that the discouraging 
state of his affairs did not prevent Mr. Irving 
from an excursion, about this time, into Scot- 
land, and from much enjoyment with friends 
and scenery that greeted him there. 

He first visited Edinburgh, and was en- 
chanted with the general appearance of the city. 
It far surpassed all his expectations, and, with 
the exception of Naples, seemed to him the 
most picturesque place he had ever seen. The 
famous Rock and Castle presented new aspects 
of beauty as often as he viewed them. u Ar- 



I 



o 



82 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

thur's Seat" was a perfect witchcraft. He 
rambled about the bridges and on Calton 
Hill in " a perfect intoxication of mind." 
The public buildings he seems to have over- 
looked entirely. He was utterly absorbed in the 
romantic features of the scenery around him, so 
that a single day's enjoyment from this source 
was a sufficient compensation for his whole 
journey. 

His visit to Walter Scott * seemed mutually 

* Sir Walter Scott was a native of Edinburgh, born in 1771, 
and was allied to the border family of Scotts. He was a deli- 
cate child, but grew firmer in health as he approached his 
tenth year, although a partial lameness began with his second 
year and never left him. He was educated at the High 
School and University of Edinburgh, in neither of which was 
he distinguished as a scholar. He was, however, a prodigious 
reader of romances, old plays, poetry, travels, and every kind 
of miscellaneous literature on which he could lay hands. It 
was thus that his literary tastes and character were shaped. 
He was an ardent lover of natural scenery, and his romantic 
feelings, begotten by the peculiar character of his reading, 
associated themselves with the various grand features of the 
landscape scenery around him. 

He was at fifteen apprenticed to the law in the office of his 
father, and, after the study of six years — perusing literature 
largely meanwhile — he was admitted to the Scottish Bar. He 
now soon began to write and print, and for about a score of 
years his pen was mainly directed to poetic compositions. 
About the end of this time, however, his poetic genius seems 
to have waned, and his popularity in this department of lit- 
erature sensibly declined, while at the same time the efful- 



Memoir of Washington Irving, S3 

and immensely gratifying. The scenery of 
Abbotsford and the surroundings charmed him 

gence of Byron's rising glory began to blaze forth with daz- 
zling brilliancy. 

From this time Scott seems to have assumed a "new point 
of departure," and he determined to seek literary fame in an- 
other path than poetry. Nine or ten years before he had 
commenced a novel designed to illustrate Highland scenery 
and customs in the middle of the last century, and the sheets 
seem to have been mislaid and forgotten. These, providen- 
tially, now came to light, and Scott seized upon the work, and 
in three weeks finished the second and third volumes, and put 
it immediately to press anonymously, and under the title of 
"Waverley." It proved a great success, and was the com- 
mencement of that -wonderful series of novels bearing the 
same name — appearing in rapid succession for a term of years 
from 1S15 — the author meanwhile prosecuting besides various 
other literary works. By the avails of his labors he had grad- 
ually built up for himself an ample and beautiful domain on 
the banks of the Tweed, to which he gave the name of Ab- 
botsford, which became one of the most famous of literary 
shrines, and where he was accustomed to dispense a generous 
hospitality. Here it was that Irving visited him, as above 
described, and was so greatly delighted with the man, the 
family, the surroundings, and every thing. 

A few years afterward, however, a great financial reverse 
came upon Scott, and by certain business connections with 
two Edinburgh publishers he, by their failure, became in- 
volved in an enormous debt of $750,000 ! This, it would 
seem, would have appalled any man but Scott. He. however, 
having procured an extension, seized his pen, and, at fifty-five 
years of age, launched away upon a new series of literary la- 
bors astonishing even to contemplate. Sutfice it to say that, 
by his wonderful industry and herculean efforts, he, in about 
half a dozen years, paid $500,000 of his debt, and by dispos- 
ing of the copyrights of some of his works-canceled the remain- 



84 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

into " a kind o\ dream or delirium." Leaving 
this paradise, he never departed from any place 
with more regret, and the few days he passed 
there were " among the most delightful of his 
life, and worth as many years of ordinary ex- 
istenee." So, also, he was charmed with the 
Seott family. The wife and mother, the sons and 
daughters, all impressed the visitor with extra- 
ordinary interest, while of Scott himself noth- 
ing but Irving's own words will do. "As to 
Seott himself, I cannot express my delight at 
his character and manners. He is a sterling, 
golden-hearted old worthy, ' full of the joyous- 
ness of youth,' with an imagination continually 
furnishing forth pictures, and a charming sim- 
plicity of manner that puts you at ease with 
him in a moment. It has been a constant 
source of pleasure to me to remark his deport- 
ment toward his family, his neighbors, his very 
dogs and cats ; every thing that comes within 
his influence seems to catch a beam of that 
sunshine that plays round his heart. ... It is a 

dor. It was a most astonishing achievement, but it killed 
him. Mental exhaustion came on, of course. His brain was 
overstrained, general health declined, gradual paralysis ensued, 
and in 1S32 — that year so famous for distinguished deaths — 
Walter Scott expired. He was made baronet in 1S20. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 85 

perfect picture to see Scott and his household 
assembled of an evening — the dogs stretched 
before the fire, the cat perched on a chair, Mrs. 
Scott and the girls sewing, and Scott either 
reading out of some old romance, or telling 
border storie 

Per Contra. — Just after receiving this visit 
from Irving, Scott writes thus to a friend : 
* When you see Tom Campbell, tell him, with 
my best love, that I have to thank him for mak- 
ing me known to Mr. Washington Irving, who 
is one of the best and pleasantest acquaintances 
I have made this many a day." 

Meanwhile other delightful friends saluted 
the visitor to Scotland. Jeffrey* was extremely 

* Francis yeffrey was a native of Edinburgh, and was edu- 
cated at Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Oxford. He was always 
near the head of his class, and is said to have never lost his 
class position without weeping. At Glasgow he excelled as a 
speaker and debater, and formed the important habit which 
all students should consider well, of systematically accompany- 
ing all his studies by collateral composition. 

His residence at Oxford was far from agreeable to him, 
where he declared that he saw nothing to acquire except 
"drinking and praying." He soon left, and attended the law 
class at Edinburgh University, at the same time busying him- 
self with literature, and was a member of the " Speculative 
Society," a famous debating club, comprising names afterward 
celebrated in history. He was admitted to the bar in 1794, 
but suffered, for a time, as a lawyer, by his ardent pursuit of 



86 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

friendly and agreeable. At his table Irving met 
the wife and daughter of Dugald Stewart,* also 

literature, to which he was as much devoted as to his profes- 
sion. He, in connection with Brougham, Sidney Smith, and 
Horner, planned the Edinburgh Review, whose first number 
appeared in 1802, with Jeffrey as editor. This periodical be- 
came rapidly popular, and Jeffrey continued its editor for 
twenty-six years, during all of which time he was its most 
popular contributor, and the whole number of his contribu- 
tions amounted to two hundred. He was among the most 
famous of critics, pointing out the beauties and defects of com- 
positions under his examination with wonderful thoroughness 
and masterly ability. The freedom of his strictures was greatly 
offensive to many of the distinguished writers of his time, and 
such authors as Moore, Wordsworth, Southey, Coleridge, and 
others were among those who were compelled to writhe under 
the edge of his terrible scalpel. Moore once challenged him 
to mortal combat ; and so enraged with him was Wordsworth 
that he classed him with Robespierre and Bonaparte, de- 
nouncing them as the three most formidable enemies of 
mankind that had appeared within his memory. At the same 
time his criticism of authors seems to have been as fully alive 
to their beauties and excellence as to their defects, while the 
former were very generally selected for quotation. 

Jeffrey married, as his second wife, Miss Charlotte Wilkes, 
a New York lady, and at the time of Irving's visit, as described 
in the preceding chapter, was forty-four years old, and in the 
full ripeness of his powers. His reputation as a lawyer in- 
creased with his success as a reviewer, and he rose to the 
highest eminence of an advocate. He became successively 
Rector of Glasgow University, Dean of the Faculty of Advo- 
cates, Law Advocate, Member of Parliament, and Judge upon 
the Scottish Bench. He died in 1850. 

* Dugald Stewart was also a native of Edinburgh, born in 
1753, an( * wa5 educated at the High School and University of 
his native city, but heard the lectures of Reid at Glasgow for 



Memoir of WasJiingt07i Irving. Sy 

Lady Davy, wife of Sir Humphrey,* who " talked 
like an angel," and whose colloquial excellence 

a single term. At twenty-one he was chosen Mathematical 
Professor at Edinburgh, and on the resignation of the Chair 
of Moral Philosophy by Professor Ferguson he was elected 
his successor, holding the office during twenty-four years, and 
enjoying the highest reputation as a lecturer. The most com- 
petent authorities, as Mackintosh, Cockburn, Mill, and others, 
pronounced him one of the most accomplished didactic orators 
of modern times, whose eloquence in his lectures, says the 
latter, far surpassed Pitt and Fox in their most admired 
speeches. 

In 1792 Stewart published the first volume of " Elements of 
Philosophy of the Mind," and the next year his " Outlines of 
Moral Philosophy." In 1796 followed the Biography of Dr. 
Robertson, and in 1802 that of Dr. Reid. In 1810 appeared 
his " Philosophical Essays." Retiring from his professorship, 
he published several other important works, among which was 
his " Philosophy of the Active and Moral Powers," which was 
completed just before his death in 182S. 

* Sir Humphrey Davy was a native of Cornwall, and was 
born in 1778. He was not remarkable as a boy, yet stood 
well in his studies, had a taste for fishing and hunting, which 
he never lost, and finished his school education at fifteen, 
when his process of self-education commenced. He at sixteen 
was apprenticed to a physician, and commenced studying with 
great zeal, giving attention not only to medicine, but to lin- 
guistic, mathematical, and metaphysical studies, and especially 
to chemistry and physics, not neglecting poetry and fiction ; 
and on all his subjects of study he read the best authorities 
within his reach. In his nineteenth year his attention was 
first strongly turned to chemistry ; and reading of Lavoisier 
" first led him to the experimental study of the science in 
which he was destined to work such remarkable changes." 
At the age of twenty-four he was appointed Professor of 
Chemistry in the Royal Institute established at London, where 



88 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

attracted all ears, as the " minster-bird " drew 
to the surrounding trees and branches all 

"his lectures at once became exceedingly popular; his youth, 
simple manners, eloquence, his knowledge of his subject, and 
his brilliant experiments, excited the attention of the highest 
ranks in London ; his society was coveted by all, and he 
seemed in danger of becoming a votary of fashion rather than 
of science." He continued here eleven and a half years, de- 
voting all his time and energies to lecturing and to experi- 
mental studies, in which his enthusiasm and the excitement of 
his discoveries threw him into a fever and nearly finished his 
life. Rallying, however, his experiments and discoveries went 
on hand in hand, and his reputation as a lecturer arose with 
his success, and became such that he was invited to lecture in 
different cities, received the degree of Doctor of Civil Law at 
Trinity College, Dublin, and in April, 1812, was knighted. In 
the same month he was married to Mrs. Apreece, a lady of 
accomplishments and considerable fortune, and who was the 
lady that so astonished Irving by her colloquial powers. Sir 
Humphrey afterward traveled extensively on the Continent, 
still pursuing, however, his chemical researches. In 1812 a 
terrific explosion having occurred in a coal mine, by which a 
hundred men were killed, Davy was solicited to devise, if possi- 
ble, some contrivance for preventing such destructive calami- 
ties. Hence resulted, in the course of a few months, the 
famous " safety-lamp," an invention which has elevated Davy 
to be one of the benefactors of mankind. On its being sug 
gested to him that he should avail himself of a patent for this 
invention, he responded in these noble words : " No, my 
good friend, I never thought of such a thing ; my sole object 
was to serve the cause of humanity, and if I have succeeded, I 
am amply rewarded in the gratifying reflection of having 
done so." 

Davy was, by universal consent, considered without a su 
perior, if he had an equal, among the chemists of his time. He 
died at Geneva, June 1st, 1829. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 89 

the birds of the forest in listening attitudes. 
His excursion in the Highlands was one of the 
most delightful he ever made : weather warm, 
genial, serene, and sunshiny ; traveling by chaise, 
coach, gig, boat, cart, and on foot ; scenery 
some of the most remarkable and beautiful in 
Scotland. 



90 Memoir of Washington Irving. 



CHAPTER XII. 

r I ^HUS, after three tedious years in England, 
-*- during which the mercantile prospects of 
the three brothers went down in bankruptcy, 
Washington Irving, emancipated now from the 
thraldom of business, with which he was constitu- 
tionally unfit to grapple, again resumed his pen, 
and resumed it as his reliance for further sup- 
port and independence. 

Through the agency of his eldest brother, 
William, who was at this time a member of 
Congress, an eligible place had been secured for 
Washington in the Navy Board, with a salary 
equal to $2,400. It was an office whose duties 
would be light, and which would afford ample 
leisure for literary pursuits. To the great dis- 
appointment of William, however, his brother 
declined this fine opening, assigning as a prin- 
cipal reason that he did not wish to undertake 
any situation that must involve him in such a 
routine of duties as to prevent him from literary 
pursuits. In a letter to his brother Ebenezer, 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 91 

he presents, somewhat at large, his feelings, 
views, and notions relating to the important 
position which he had assumed, and which, 
when connected with the magnificent results 
following his decision, challenges for itself a 
more than ordinary interest. In this letter he 
submits that the situation at Washington would 
but barely sustain him genteelly ; that it could 
lead to nothing higher except politically, and for 
political life his talents, habits, and taste were 
not adapted ; that he could not, at the same 
time discharge the duties of the office and 
pursue his favorite plan of literary studies, and 
that if he were ever to gain any solid reputation 
with the public it must be " in the quiet and 
assiduous operations of his pen." He was 
now thirty-five years of age ; and he adds in 
this letter to his brother that he had already 
suffered several precious years of youth and 
ilively imagination to pass by unimproved, and 
that it behooved him to make the most of what 
was left ; that this was the very period of his 
>life most auspicious for securing a literary repu- 
tation, and if he should succeed in this it would 
repay him for a world of care and privation to 
be placed among the established authors of his 



92 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

country, and to win the affections of his country- 
men. 

Thus it happily came to pass that Irving 
declined office, and struck out a path for him- 
self ; and the sequel amply demonstrated the 
correctness and wisdom of his decision. 

At the time of penning the important letter 
above noticed, Mr. Irving was just about put- 
ting to press the first number of the " Sketch 
Book." Its first publication was in this coun- 
try ; and it was issued in successive numbers, 
and from time to time, until completed. It was 
afterward issued in London, under the auspices 
of the author ; and it was, in both countries, at 
once exceedingly popular, highly approved both 
by American and English critics, and greatly 
advanced, on both sides of the water, the repu- 
tation of its author. 

The work comprises a series of sketches, from 
thirty to forty in number, some of them quite 
brief, others expanded into much greater length, 
and presenting a very considerable variety of 
topics. Authors, scenery, customs, localities, 
stories, etc., come into the scope of the work — I 
some of the sketches dwelling upon American 
scenery and personages, but most of them occu- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 93 

pied with English subjects, over which the 
author seems to linger with more than ordinary 
partiality. The series is marked by a pleasant 
variety, not only in respect to the character of the 
themes, but the temperament, so to speak, with 
which they are treated. There will be found 
the sobriety of history and narrative, the pathos 
belonging to unaffected sympathy with sorrow, 
and, on the other hand, the humor by which 
his genius seemed so strongly characterized. 

The style of the sketches is every-where his 
own — pure, chaste, easy, flowing ; often elegant, 
and always appropriate to the theme in hand ; 
rich, yet not extravagant with varied and perti- 
nent imagery — pleasant flowers of speech inter- 
mingling themselves with his graceful and facile 
style, presenting themselves not in gorgeous 
superabundance as in some artificial garden of 
beauty, but constantly occurring in a sort of 
natural order and variety, like the floral adorn- 
ments that greet us as we glance along some 
cultivated and beautiful landscape. 

A brief extract or two from these admirable 
sketches may not be without use in setting forth 
some of the more prominent peculiarities of Mr. 
Irving's spirit and style of composition. 



94 Memoir of Washington Irving. 



i 



CHAPTER XIII. 

N his Sketch of Mr. Roscoe, of Liverpool, 
comparing him with other English writers 
of distinction, Mr. Irving writes : 

" Mr. Roscoe has claimed none of the ac- 
corded privileges of talent. He has shut him- 
self up in no garden of thought nor elysium of 
fancy, but has gone forth into the highways and 
thoroughfares of life ; he has planted bowers by 
the way-side for the refreshment of the pilgrim 
and the sojourner, and has opened pure fountains, 
where the laboring man may turn aside from the 
dust and heat of the day, and drink of the living 
streams of knowledge. There is a ' daily beauty 
in his life ' on which mankind may meditate and 
grow better. It exhibits no lofty, and almost use- 
less, because inimitable, example of excellence, 
but presents a picture of active, yet simple and 
imitable virtues, which are within every man's 
reach, but which, unfortunately, are not exercised 
by many, or this world would be a paradise. . . . 

" He has shown how much may be done 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 95 

for a place in hours of leisure by one master 
spirit, and how completely it can give its own 
impress to surrounding objects. Like his own 
* Lorenzo de Medici,' on whom he seems to 
have fixed his eye as on a pure model of antiq- 
uity, he has interwoven the history of his life 
with the history of his native town, and has 
made the foundations of its fame the monuments 
of his virtues. Wherever you go in Liverpool 
you perceive traces of his footsteps in all that is 
elegant and liberal. He found the tide of wealth 
flowing merely in the channels of traffic ; he has 
diverted from it invigorating rills to refresh the 
gardens of literature. By his own example and 
constant exertion, he has effected that union 
of commerce and the intellectual pursuits so 
eloquently recommended in one of his latest 
writings, and has practically proved how beau- 
tifully they may be brought to harmonize, and 
to benefit each other." 

We have the following touching the " Royal 
Poet," James of Scotland — an extract closing 
with a passage whose splendid imagery, brilliant 
words, harmonious and graceful construction, 
and musical movement, are hardly surpassed in 
the English language : 



g6 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

" James flourished nearly about the time of 
Chaucer and Gower, and was evidently an admirer 
and studier of their writings. Indeed, in one of his 
stanzas he acknowledges them as his masters ; 
and in some parts of his poem we find traces of 
similarity to their productions, more especially 
to those of Chaucer. There are always, how- 
ever, general features of resemblance in the 
works of contemporary authors which are not 
so much borrowed from each other as from the 
times. Writers, like bees, toll their sweets in 
the wide world ; they incorporate with their own 
conceptions the anecdotes and thoughts current 
in society ; and thus each generation has some 
features in common characteristic of the age in 
which it lived. 

"James belongs to one of the most brilliant 
eras of our literary history, and establishes the 
claims of his country to a participation in its 
primitive honors. Whilst a small cluster of 
English writers are constantly cited as the 
fathers of our verse, the name of their great 
Scottish compeer is apt to be passed over in 
silence ; but he is evidently worthy of being 
enrolled in that little constellation of remote but 
never-failing luminaries who shine in the high- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 97 

est firmament of literature, and who, like the 
morning stars, sang together at the bright 
dawning of British poesy." 

The author is moving pensively amid the 
somber scenery of Westminster Abbey. Let 
us glance at a picture or two : 

" While wandering about these gloomy vaults 
and silent aisles, studying the records of the 
dead, the sound of busy existence from without 
occasionally reaches the ear — the rumbling of 
the passing equipage, the murmur of the multi- 
tude, or, perhaps, the light laugh of pleasure. 
The contrast is striking with the death-like 
repose around ; and it has a strange effect upon 
the feelings thus to hear the surges of active 
life hurrying along and beating against the very 
walls of the sepulcher. . . . 

" Two small aisles on each side of this chapel 
present a touching instance of the equality of 
the grave, which brings down the oppressor to 
a level with the oppressed, and mingles the dust 
of the bitterest enemies together. In one is 
the sepulcher of the haughty Elizabeth, in the 
other is that of her victim, the lovely and unfor- 
tunate Mary. Not an hour in the day but some 
ejaculation of pity is uttered over the fate of the 



98 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

latter, mingled with indignation at her oppressor. 
The walls of Elizabeth's sepulcher continually 
echo with the sighs of sympathy heaved at the 
grave of her rival. 

" A peculiar melancholy reigns over the aisle 
where Mary lies buried. The light struggles 
dimly through windows darkened by dust. The 
greater part of the place is in deep shadow, and 
the walls are stained and tinted by time and 
weather." 

The author as he retires from the Abbey thus 
meditates : 

" What is this vast assemblage of sepulchers 
but a treasury of humiliation — a huge pile of 
reiterated homilies on the emptiness of renown 
and the certainty of oblivion ! It is indeed the 
empire of death ; his great shadowy palace, 
where he sits in state, mocking at the relics of 
human glory, and spreading dust and forgetml- 
ness on the monuments of princes. How idle 
a boast, after all, is the immortality of a name ! 
Time is ever silently running over his pages ; 
we are too much engrossed by the story of the 
present to think of the characters and anecdotes 
that gave interest to the past ; and each age is 
a volume thrown aside to be speedily forgotten. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 99 

The idol of to-day pushes the hero of yesterday 
out of our recollection, and will in turn be sup- 
planted by his successor of to-morrow." 

We have the following picture of an English 
stage-coachman : 

" He has commonly a broad, full face, curi- 
ously mottled with red, as if the blood had been 
forced by hard feeding into every vessel of the 
skin ; he is swelled into jolly dimensions by 
frequent potations of malt liquors, and his bulk 
is still further increased by a multiplicity of 
coats, in which he is buried like a cauliflower, the 
upper one reaching to his heels. He wears a 
broad-brimmed, low-crowned hat ; a huge roll of 
colored handkerchief about his neck, knowingly 
knotted and tucked in at the bosom ; and has in 
summer time a large bouquet of flowers in his 
button-hole, the present, most probably, of some 
enamored country lass. His waistcoat is com- 
monly of some bright color, striped, and his 
small clothes extend far below his knees, to 
meet a pair of jockey boots which reach about 
half way up his legs. . . . He enjoys great con- 
sequence and consideration along the road ; has 
frequent conferences with the village house- 
wives, who look upon him as a man of great 



ioo Memoir of Washington Irving. 

trust and dependence, and he seems to have a 
good understanding with every bright eyed coun- 
try lass. The moment he arrives where the 
horses are to be changed he throws down the 
reins with something of an air, and abandons 
the cattle to the care of the hostler, his duty 
being merely to drive from one stage to another. 
When off the box his hands are thrust into the 
pocket of his great-coat, and he rolls about the 
inn-yard with an air of the most absolute lord- 
liness. Here he is generally surrounded by an 
admiring throng of hostlers, stable-boys, shoe- 
blacks, and those nameless hangers on that 
infest inns and taverns, and run errands, and 
do all kinds of odd jobs for the privilege of fat- 
tening on the drippings of the kitchen and the 
leakage of the tap-room. These all look up to 
him as to an oracle ; treasure up his cant 
phrases ; echo his opinions about horses and 
other topics of jockey lore ; and, above all, 
endeavor to imitate his air and carriage. Every 
ragamuffin that has a coat to his back thrusts 
his hands into the pockets, rolls in his gait, talks 
slang, and is an embryo coachey." 

"John Bull" is thus pictured : 

" John Bull, to all appearance, is a plain, 



Memoir of Washington Irving. ioi 

downright, matter-of-fact fellow, with much less 
of poetry about him than rich prose. There is a 
little of romance in his nature, but a vast deal 
of strong natural feeling. He excels in humor 
more than in wit ; is jolly rather than gay ; mel- 
ancholy rather than morose ; can easily be 
moved to a sudden tear, or surprised into a 
broad laugh ; but he loathes sentiment, and has 
no turn for light pleasantry. He is a boon 
companion if you allow him to have his humor, 
and to talk about himself ; and he will stand by 
a friend in a quarrel with life and purse, however 
soundly he may be cudgeled. . . . 

" His family mansion is an old castellated 
manor-house, gray with age, and of a most 
venerable, weather-beaten appearance. It 
has been built upon no regular plan, but is a 
vast accumulation of parts, erected in various 
tastes and ages. The center bears evident 
traces of Saxon architecture, and is as solid as 
ponderous stone and old English oak can make 
it. Like all the relics of that style, it is full of 
obscure passages, intricate mazes, and dusky 
chambers ; and though these have been par- 
tially lighted up in modern days, yet there are 
many places where you must still grope in the 



102 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

dark. Additions have been made to the origi- 
nal edifice from time to time, and great altera- 
tions have taken place ; towers and battlements 
have been erected during wars and tumults ; 
wings built in time of peace, and out-houses, 
lodges, and offices run up, according to the whim 
or convenience of different generations, until it 
has became one of the most spacious, rambling 
tenements imaginable." 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 103 



CHAPTER XIV. 

A /TR. IRVING had now been five years 
-L»-l- abroad, and during all this time had 
been by circumstances detained in England. 
At length the way was open for him to gratify 
his long-cherished desire and intention to cross 
the channel, and to visit some of the famous 
cities and other interesting objects of conti- 
nental Europe. 

Of course he first visited Paris, where he 
resided nearly a year. Here he made several 
new and interesting acquaintances, among whom 
was Moore, the poet,* who, with his wife, was 
also residing at that time in Paris. Moore was 
four years the senior of Irving, and on their 
first acquaintance a mutual and strong friend- 

* Thomas Moore was born in 1779, and was educated in 
Dublin, his native city. His writings were voluminous, com- 
prising prose as well as poetry. Some of his earlier poems 
are, unfortunately, defaced by more or less of pruriency, and 
have an immoral tendency ; but much of his poetry is excel- 
lent, and Lalla Rookh comprises strains and passages not ex- 
celled in the English language for poetic sweetness and beauty. 
He died in 1852. 



104 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

ship commenced between them, which seems 
to have continued through life. " He is a 
cheery, joyous fellow," writes Irving in his first 
notice of him, "full of frank, generous, and 
manly feeling. His acquaintance is one of the 
most gratifying things I have met with for 
some time, as he takes the warm interest of an 
old friend in me and my concerns." It is need- 
less to add that all such pleasant sentiments 
were fully reciprocated, and this new and unex- 
pected friendship was one of the special charms 
for Irving during his residence at the French 
capital. He also at Paris formed the acquaint- 
ance of the English statesman, George Can- 
ning,* who showed him much attention, and 



* George Canning was born in London in 1770, was edu- 
cated at Eton and Oxford, where he gained high academical 
honors, and evinced great powers of oratory. He early devoted 
himself to politics, and in the course of his life sustained nu- 
merous important offices. He was several times in the Cabi- 
net, being once Premier, and several times also in Parliament, 
was a foreign embassador, and was offered the important 
office of Governor General of India. 

He was remarkable as a speaker, while in keen and cutting 
irony, sparkling wit, sarcasm, and eloquence, he was among 
the first orators of his time. A newspaper of the day, an- 
nouncing his death, represents him as " endowed with every 
choicest gift of nature, had risen from a low condition to the 
highest office in the State, and centered in himself the best 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 105 

expressed a very favorable opinion of his writ- 
ings. Lord John Russell, now Earl Russell,* 
about ten years the junior of Irving, was also 
among his distinguished acquaintances at Paris. 
Here, too, he met his townsman, John Howard 
Payne,f author of the popular ballad " Home, 

hopes of the best men in the civilized world." He died at 
Chiswick in 1827. 

* Lord John Russell is third son of the Duke of Bedford, 
born 1792, and is, of course, now an old man. He studied at 
the University of Edinburgh, and at twenty-one years of age 
we find him a member of Parliament, and seems to have been 
either in Parliament or in the cabinet the most of his life. 
He early assumed the position of a Parliamentary reformer, 
and has constantly sustained that character throughout his 
long public career, and has been earnest and efficient in the 
several reforms which have been carried in Parliament for the 
last half century. He was elevated to the peerage in 1861, 
with the title of Earl Russell. He is an author as well as a 
statesman, having employed his pen with history, biography, 
and fiction, besides some miscellaneous works. 

t yohn Howard Payne was born in 1792 in New York, and 
in childhood evinced a precocious genius for poetry and dra- 
matic exercises and exhibitions. He entered Union College, 
but remained there only a brief period, and in his sixteenth 
year we find him upon the stage, acting the part of Young 
Norval at the Park Theater, New York. The most of his sub- 
sequent life seems to have been devoted to acting and to dra- 
matic composition, performing at home and abroad with varied 
success. Of the famous poem, "Home, Sweet Home," one 
hundred thousand copies had been sold up to 1832 by the 
original publishers, and it is known and sung the world over. 
He was for several years United States Consul to Tunis, and 
died in 1852. 



io6 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

Sweet Home ;" also Talma,* the great French 
tragedian, and Kenney, an Irish dramatic writer 
of some note, author of " Raising the Wind," a 
farce in which figures "Jeremy Diddler," one 
of the most famous characters of humorous 
fiction. 

Just previous to leaving Paris he also made 
the acquaintance of Bancroft,! the historian, 

* Talma was born in Paris in 1763, and died there in 1826. 
He was eminent as an actor of tragedy, to which art he gave 
his main attention. 

t George Bancroft is a native of Worcester, Mass., born in 
1800, studied at Exeter and Cambridge, graduated at seven- 
teen, embarked for Europe, entered the University of Got- 
tingen, where for two years he pursued an extensive plan of 
study, comprising German, French, and Italian literature, 
Oriental languages, civil, ecclesiastical, and natural history, 
Greek and Roman literature and antiquities, and Greek Phi- 
losophy. He received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at 
twenty years of age, and in the following spring he com- 
menced traveling through various parts of Europe, and con- 
versed with many learned and eminent men. Returning home 
in 1822 he served a year as tutor at Harvard, and in 1823, in 
connection with Dr. Cogswell, established the " Round Hill " 
school at Northampton, a classical school of high standing. 
In 1S34 he published the first volume of his History of the 
United States, which has up to this date (1869) reached the 
ninth volume. It has received great applause, although the 
last volume has been severely criticised owing to its alleged 
injustice to one or two Revolutionary officers. Mr. Bancroft 
was in President Polk's cabinet, and through his influence the 
Naval School was established. From 1846 to 1849 he was 
United States Minister to England. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 107 

who was then traveling in Europe. He speaks 
of other interesting acquaintances acquired at 
Paris, so that his society seems to have been 
fully as extensive as was consistent with the 
special purpose of his residence there. 



108 Memoir of Washington Irving, 



CHAPTER XV. 

MR. IRVING, though having designed to 
proceed immediately on his continental 
travels, suddenly changed his purpose, and in 
July, 182 1, started on his return to England, 
and reached London on the day previous to the 
coronation of George IV. From a position 
outside Westminster Abbey he witnessed the 
grand procession passing in. Meeting Sir Wal- 
ter Scott on the following day, and telling him 
of his success in witnessing the display, and 
that he knew not how to manage to secure 
admission within the Abbey, "Tut, mon," re- 
plied Scott, "you should have told them who 
you were, and you would have got in any- 
where." 

After a brief stay in London he proceeded, 
in company with the artist Leslie, to Birming- 
ham, on a visit to his sister, Mrs. Van Wart. 
Their first day's ride brought them to Oxford, 
where a violent rain during all the following 
day confined them to the inn. As they mounted 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 109 

the coach on the following morning Leslie re- 
marked to Irving something about a certain stout 
gentleman who had accompanied them to Oxford 
two days before. This was the suggestive hint 
that gave birth to the story of " The Stout Gen- 
tleman." The idea seized strongly and at once 
the fancy of Irving, and at every opportunity 
as they went on their journey his pen was 
working with the greatest rapidity, so that by 
the time they reached Birmingham the sketch 
was nearly finished. 

All this might be ranked among the " Curiosi- 
ties of Literature ;" and yet, doubtless, the history 
of literature would reveal to us multitudes of 
similar examples. A single word, or glance, or 
walk, or dream has proved the slight germ of 
some beautiful or stately growth ; nor is this to 
be set down as merely casual or accidental. A 
great yet secret Providence has more to do with 
the human mind, and its driftings and inspira- 
tions, than short-sighted people ever come to 
discern. " Think with yourself," says the judi- 
: cious and pious Dr. Watts, " how easily and 
how insensibly by one turn of thought He can 
lead you into a large scene of useful ideas ; he 
can teach you to lay hold on a clue which may 



no Memoir of Washington Irving. 

guide your thoughts with safety and ease 
through all the difficulties of an intricate sub- 
ject. Think how easily the Author of your 
being can direct your motions by his provi- 
dence so that the glance of an eye, or a word 
striking the ear, or a sudden turn of the fancy, 
shall conduct you to a train of happy senti- 
ments. By his secret and supreme method of 
government he can draw you to read such a 
treatise, or converse with such a person, as may 
give you more light into some deep subject in 
an hour than you could obtain by a month of 
your own solitary labor. Think with yourself 
with how much ease the God of spirits can cast 
into your minds some useful suggestion, and 
give a happy turn to your own thoughts, or the 
thoughts of those with whom you converse, 
whence you may derive unspeakable light and 
satisfaction in a matter that has long puzzled 
and entangled you ; he can show you a path 
which the vulture's eye has not seen, and lead 
you, by some unknown gate or portal, out of a 
wilderness and labyrinth of difficulties wherein 
you have been long wandering."* 

This visit of Irving to his sister proved un- 

* Watts on the Improvement of the Mind. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. in 

fortunate, he being detained there about four 
months by ill health, which effectually prevented 
him from the use of his pen. The tidings re- 
ceived during this interval, of the death of a 
niece and of his brother William, greatly added 
to his affliction. His brother's death especially 
; was a severe bereavement. He had anticipated 
the sad event, but when the news actually came 
he describes it as " one of the dismalest blows 
he had ever experienced." This brother, being 
the eldest, seems to have been as a kind father 
to all his junior brothers, and " a man full of 
worth and talents, beloved in private and hon- 
; ored in public life." After about four months 
I of invalid life with his sister at Birmingham 
Mr. Irving returned to London, his health yet 
unrestored. He soon, however, sent for publi- 
cation at New York the first volume of Brace- 
bridge Hall. The second volume soon followed 
and the work appeared in New York, May 2 1st, 
1822, and in London two days later. 



112 Memoir of WasJiiugton Irving. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

" T3RACEBRIDGE HALL" may be con- 
-■^ sidered a sort of continuation of the 
Sketch Book, and comprises various descrip- 
tions, essays, and tales relating to English char- 
acter and habits, and especially as applicable 
to the olden time. The position of the author 
is that of a resident, for the time, at the " Hall ;" 
and many of the incidents and scenes of one 
and another sketch or tale seem to have arisen 
to his observation during his agreeable sojourn 
there. 

Lady Lillycraft, for example, a visitor to the 
Hall, has brought with her two pet dogs which 
are pictured thus : " One is a fat spaniel called 
Zephyr, though heaven defend me from such a 
Zephyr ! He is fed out of all shape and com- 
fort ; his eyes are nearly strained out of his 
head ; he wheezes with corpulency, and cannot 
walk without great difficulty. The other is a 
little, old, gray, muzzled curmudgeon, with an un- 
happy eye that kindles like a coal if you only 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 113 

look at him ; his nose turns up, his mouth is 
drawn into wrinkles so as to show his teeth ; in 
short, he has altogether the look of a dog far 
gone in misanthropy, and totally sick of the 
world. When he walks he has his tail curled 
up so tight that it seems to lift his feet from the 
ground ; and he seldom makes use of more than 
three legs at a time, keeping the other drawn 
up as a reserve. This last wretch is called 
Beauty. 

" These dogs are full of elegant ailments un- 
known to vulgar dogs, and are petted and nursed 
by Lady Lillycraft with the tenderest kindness. 
They have cushions for their express use on 
which they lie before the fire, and yet are apt to 
shiver and moan if there is the least draught of 
air. When any one enters the room they make 
a most tyrannical barking that is absolutely 
deafening. They are insolent to all the other 
dogs of the establishment. There is a noble 
stag-hound, a great favorite of the squires, who 
is a privileged visitor to the parlor ; but the mo- 
ment he makes his appearance these intruders 
fly at him with furious rage, and I have admired 
the sovereign indifference and contempt with 

which he seems to look down upon his puny 
8 



114 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

assailants. When her ladyship drives out, these 
dogs are generally carried with her to take the 
air, when they look out of each window of the 
carriage, and bark at all vulgar pedestrian dogs." 

The following extracts from the chapter on 
" Family Reliques " is interesting as well for 
the moral involved as for its beauty. The writer 
alludes, among other things, to the picture gal- 
lery of the Hall as abounding most with me- 
mentoes of past times : 

" There is something strangely pleasing, 
though melancholy, in considering the long 
rows of portraits which compose the greater 
part of the collection. They furnish a kind of 
narrative of the lives of family worthies, which 
I am enabled to read with the assistance of the 
venerable housekeeper, who is the family chroni- 
cler, prompted occasionally by Master Simon. 
There is the progress of a fine lady, for instance, 
through a variety of portraits. One represents 
her as a little girl with a long waist and hoop, 
holding a kitten in her arms, and ogling the 
spectator out of the corners of her eyes, as if she 
could not turn her head. In another we find 
her in the freshness of youthful beauty, when 
she was a celebrated belle, and so hard-hearted 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 1 1 5 

as to cause several unfortunate gentlemen to 
run desperate and write bad poetry. In another 
she is depicted as a stately dame in the ma- 
turity of her charms ; next to the portrait of her 
husband is a gallant colonel, in full-bottomed 
wig and gold-laced hat, who was killed abroad ; 
and, finally, her monument is in the church, the 
spire of which may be seen from the window, 
where her effigy is carved in marble, and repre- 
sents her as a venerable dame of seventy-six. 

" There is one group that particularly inter- 
ested me. It consisted of four sisters of nearly 
the same age, who flourished about a century 
since ; and, if I may judge from their portraits, 
were extremely beautiful. I can imagine what 
a scene of gayety and romance this old mansion 
must have been when they were in the heyday 
of their charms ; when they passed like beauti- 
ful visions through its halls, or stepped daintily 
to music in the revels and dances of the cedar 
gallery, or printed with delicate feet the velvet 
verdure of these lawns. 

" When I look at these faint records of gal- 
lantry and tenderness ; when I contemplate the 
faded portraits of these beautiful girls, and think, 
too, that they have long since bloomed, reigned, 



Ii6 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

grown old, died, and passed away, and with them 
all their graces, their triumphs, their rivalries, 
their admirers ; the whole empire of love and 
pleasure in which they ruled — 'all dead, all 
buried, all forgotten' — I find a cloud of melan- 
choly stealing over the present gayeties around 
me. I was gazing in a musing mood this very 
morning at the portrait of the lady whose hus- 
band was killed abroad, when the fair Julia en- 
tered the gallery leaning on the arm of the 
captain. The sun shone through the row of 
windows on her as she passed along, and she 
seemed to beam out each time into brightness, 
and relapse into shade, until the door at the 
bottom of the gallery closed after her. I felt a 
sadness of heart at the idea that this was an 
emblem of her lot ; a few more years of sunshine 
and shade, and all this life and loveliness and 
enjoyment will have ceased, and nothing be left 
to commemorate this beautiful being but one 
more perishable portrait, to awaken, perhaps, the 
trite speculations of some future loiterer like 
myself, when I and my scribblings shall have 
lived through our brief existence and been 
forgotten." 

In the "Stout Gentleman" is a picture of 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 117 

things with a feverish man confined during a 
wet Sunday at a country inn : 

" A wet Sunday in a country inn ! Who- 
ever has had the luck to experience one can 
alone judge of my situation. The rain pattered 
against the casements, the bells tolled for church 
with a melancholy sound. I went to the win- 
dows in quest of something to amuse the eye, 
but it seemed as if I had been placed out of the 
reach of all amusement. The windows of my 
bedroom looked out among tiled roofs and 
stacks of chimneys, while those of my sitting- 
room commanded a full view of the stable-yard. 
I know of nothing more calculated to make a 
man sick of this world than a stable-yard on a 
rainy day. The place was littered with wet 
straw that had been kicked about by travelers 
and stable boys. In one corner was a stagnant 
pool of water surrounding an island of muck. 
There were several half-drowned fowls crowded 
together under a cart, among which was a mis- 
erable crest-fallen cock, drenched out of all life 
and spirit, his drooping tail matted, as it were, 
into a single feather, along which the water 
trickled from his back. Near the cart was a 
half-dozing cow, chewing the cud and standing 



1 1 8 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

patiently to be rained on, with wreaths of vapor 
rising from her reeking hide. A wall-eyed 
horse, tired of the loneliness of the stable, was 
poking his spectral head out of a window, with 
the rain dropping on it from the eaves. An 
unhappy cur, chained to a dog-house hard by, 
uttered something every now and then between 
a bark and a yelp. A drab of a kitchen wench 
tramped backward and forward through the 
yard in pattens, looking as sulky as the weather 
itself. Every thing, in short, was comfortless 
and forlorn, excepting a crew of hard-drinking 
ducks, assembled like boon companions round 
a puddle, and making a riotous noise over their 
liquor." 

The " Edinburgh Review " thus glances at a 
few other pieces of the " Bracebridge Hall " 
miscellany : 

" ' Ready Money Jack ' is admirable through- 
out, and the old general very good. The lovers 
are, as usual, the most insipid. 

" The ' Gypsies ' are sketched with infinite 
elegance as well as spirit, and Master Simon is 
quite delightful in all the varieties of his ever- 
versatile character. 

" Of the tales which serve to fill up the vol- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 119 

umes, that of ' Dolph Heyliger ' is incomparably 
the best, and is more characteristic, perhaps, 
both of the author's turn of imagination and 
cast of humor than any thing else in the work. 
" ' The Student of Salamanca ' is too long, 
and deals rather largely in the common-places 
of romantic adventure." 



120 Memoir of Washington Irving. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

BRACEBRIDGE HALL" being off his 
hands, Mr. Irving gave himself a season 
of relaxation, and, receiving numerous invita- 
tions from fashionable people in London and 
vicinity, he passed the succeeding summer as 
gayly as the imperfect condition of his health 
would permit. Early in autumn he embarked 
for Holland. Spending several days at Rotter- 
dam, the Hague, Amsterdam, and one or two 
other places, he ascended the Rhine to Aix-la- 
Chapelle to enjoy the use of the baths. He 
also spent a short time at Mayence, Frankfort, 
and Heidelberg. He was greatly delighted 
with the scenery of the Rhine, and the fruitful- 
ness and beauty of the country generally ; while 
the atmosphere, as he inhaled it, seemed to 
exert an invigorating and balmy influence upon 
his physical system. He afterward journeys 
farther up the Rhine, enjoys the baths of Ba- 
den, and is charmed with the delightful scenery 
every-where presented to view. He then sets 






Memoir of Washington Irving. 121 

his face eastward toward Vienna. Passing the 
Black Forest, and crossing Wirtemberg to Saltz- 
burg, he for a few days refreshed himself with 
various little excursions, visited the famous salt 
works, looked with pleasure upon the Tyrolese 
mountains stretching along the south, and al- 
ready (Oct. 1) capped with snow, and pro- 
nounced Saltzburg one of the most romantic 
spots which he had ever beheld. Thence, after 
a few days, he resumed his journey, and, travel- 
ing all night, he was the next day at Vienna. 

This great and opulent capital was not to his 
taste. He found it a city given to luxury and 
dissipation rather than devoted to more ele- 
vated pursuits, and after a brief stay, with one 
or two excursions abroad, he took leave for 
Dresden on the 18th of November. The tedi- 
ous complaint which had so long afflicted him 
was now almost entirely healed, and brighter 
prospects than before seemed opening before 
him. On the fifth day, after traversing a rude 
and gloomy country, he reached Prague, whence 
two and a half days more brought him to Dres- 
den. The whole aspect of things suddenly 
changes as he passes from Bohemia and de- 
scends the mountains into Saxony, and excel- 



122 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

lent roads, pleasant farm-houses, rosy gleams 
on the still waters of the Elbe, the fishing 
boats, the balmy skies, joined with a view of 
the distant city, with its cluster of spires and 
domes, all combine to throw an air of enchant- 
ment around the closing hours of his journey. 
Dresden was his home for six months, and 
seems to have proved a delightful residence. 
His literary fame had preceded him, and he 
was at once introduced to the first society of 
the place. 

Irving was at this time in his fortieth year, 
and we have the following description of him as 
he now appeared by one of his Dresden friends, 
an English lady sojourning there : 

" He was thoroughly a gentleman, not merely 
externally in manners and look, but to the inner- 
most fibers and core of his heart. Sweet tem- 
pered, gentle, fastidious, sensitive, and gifted 
with the warmest affections, the most delightful 
and invariably interesting companion, gay and 
full of humor, even in spite of occasional fits of 
melancholy, which he was, however, seldom 
subject to when with those he liked — a gift of 
conversation that flowed like a full river of sun- 
shine, bright, easy, and abundant." 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 123 

Mr. Irving was soon presented by the British 
Minister to the royal family, comprising the King 
and Queen, two brothers, two daughters, and 
two grandsons with their wives. With all these, 
together with foreign dignitaries resident at 
Court, Irving seems to have associated as an 
equal ; and he participates in royal visits, re- 
ceptions, dinings, balls, soirees, huntings, etc., 
as fully and freely as if himself were of regular 
royal descent. " I have been," he writes to his 
brother Peter, " most hospitably received, and 
even caressed, in this little capital, and have 
experienced nothing but the most marked kind- 
ness from the King downward. My reception, 
indeed, at Court has been peculiarly flat- 
tering, and every branch of the royal family has 
taken occasion to show me particular attention 
whenever I made my appearance." 

Among his most select and pleasant associates 
at Dresden were the Fosters, an English family 
of rank, comprising mother and two daughters, 
the latter being educated there. In this delight- 
ful little circle Irving early became an intimate, 
and their house was to him a sunny and attract- 
ive home. With their assistance he diligently 
improved himself in the French and Italian 



124 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

languages, while among his pleasant amuse- 
ments were the private theatricals gotten up 
and performed at the Fosters', and in which 
Irving and a few English residents participated. 
It may well be supposed that with all the 
flattering attentions which Mr. Irving received 
at Dresden, and the frequent amusements in 
which he mingled, his pen would be likely to 
make but little progress. His own confession 
corroborates such an inference. " I wish," he 
writes to a sister, " I could give you a good 
account of my literary labors ; but I have noth- 
ing to report. I am merely seeing and hearing, 
and my mind seems in too crowded and con- 
fused a condition to produce any thing." Thus, 
aside from his progress in the French, Italian, 
and German languages, his winter's work seems 
to have amounted to but little. We have from 
him another confession, and one of great impor- 
tance, as he is about to leave Dresden. In a 
letter to Mrs. Foster, after reviewing the pleas- 
ant evenings he had enjoyed at her home, he 
adds that he would not give one such evening 
for all the routs and assemblies of the fashion- 
able world ; that he was weary and sick of fash- 
ionable life and fashionable parties ; that he 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 125 

had never submitted himself to this current 
for a time but he had ultimately been cast ex- 
hausted and spiritless upon the shore. He 
remarks with pain upon the sacrifice of the 
nobler and better feelings in this kind of inter- 
course. " We crowd together in cities," says he, 
"and bring down our minds to the routine of 
visits and formalities, and associate ourselves 
with littleness and insipidity, and ' say unto the 
worm, Thou art my brother and my sister.' We 
subject ourselves to the claims and importunities 
of people we dislike, and the censorship of 
people whom we despise. The whole swarm 
of insects that buzz around us cannot administer 
to our pleasure ; but one by his paltry sting 
may torment us." 

It may not be necessary to moralize exten- 
sively upon a confession like this, uttered by 
one like Irving — a man already famous, in the 
prime of manhood, moving in the very highest 
circles, flattered and caressed as extensively as 
he was known. But we can scarcely refrain 
from reverting to another confession following 
a course of prosperity the most magnificent 
possible, of which confession we have the for- 
mula following : 



126 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

" Then I looked on all the works that my 
hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had 
labored to do : and, behold, all was vanity and 
vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under 
the sun." 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 127 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

HAVING passed about eight months at 
Dresden, Mr. Irving departed for Paris 
about the middle of July. The Fosters left at 
the same time on their return to England, and 
Irving accompanied them, as a sort of escort 
and protector, as far as Rotterdam. Having 
seen these, his dear friends, safely embarked for 
London, he immediately pursued his journey, 
and reached Paris early in August. 

His miscellaneous mode of life for so long a 
time had its effect upon him, and it was with 
some difficulty that he could settle his mind to 
any weighty and steady literary pursuit. He 
passed the autumn in some dramatic efforts, 
which at the instance of Mr. Payne he was 
induced, in company with the latter, to under- 
take. These consisted of the translation 
and recasting of certain French plays, to be 
modified and fitted to the English stage. It 
was stipulated that Irving's name should not 
appear in connection with these productions, 



128 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

which were afterward acted with success in 
London. 

The ensuing winter seems to have passed 
without much literary labor. His journal pre- 
sents him as reading various authors, dining 
with various friends, and giving less attention 
to theaters than formerly. We find him engaged 
in some revision of " Salmagundi " for a French 
publisher. The same publisher, Galignani, pro- 
poses to him the getting up of an edition of 
English authors, accompanied with biographical 
sketches. Irving accepts the proposition, stipu- 
lating for two hundred and fifty francs per 
volume, and at once commenced on this new 
enterprise, beginning with a life of Goldsmith. 

In the spring he arranges, by correspond- 
ence with his London publisher, for the pur- 
chase of his forthcoming " Tales of a Traveler," 
for four thousand five hundred dollars. The 
manuscript was partly prepared, and after the 
arrangement with his publisher he seems to 
have proceeded more diligently than before with 
the work — at the same time giving encourage- 
ment to his publisher that it would excel any of 
his former works. 

At the end of spring he leaves Paris for 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 1 29 

London, where he was invited by the poet 
Spencer * to take lodgings with him. He also 
enjoys pleasant relations with the poet Rogers,! 
with whom he had frequent interesting conver- 
sations. In June he spends some days at the 
manor-house of Mr. Compton, "a complete 
specimen of a complete country gentleman." 
Here he is greatly delighted with the scenery, 
residence, and its occupants. Thence he goes 
to Bath, where he again meets his friend Moore, 
and accompanies him to his beautiful cottage a 
few miles away. After a brief visit with his 

° William Robert Spencer was the grandson of the Duke of 
Marlborough, born in 1769, was a wit and man of fashion. 
His poems were principally ballads and occasional pieces, some 
of which are of special elegance. He died in Paris in 1834, 
and in the following year his poems, with a memoir, were 
collected and published. 

f Samuel Rogers was born in 1763. His "Pleasures of 
Memory" first gave him a place among English poets. 
Besides this, his "Voyage of Columbus," "Jacqueline," 
"Human Life," and "Italy," were his principal poetic pro- 
ductions. He was offered the laureateship on the death 
of Wordsworth, which, by reason of his advanced age, he 
declined. . 

Rogers was a gentleman of fortune and ample hospitalities, 
and for half a century his house was a favorite resort of literary 
men. He seems to have written slowly, the " Pleasures of 
Memory " occupying him nine years, (about eighty lines a year. ) 
" Human Life " about the same time, and " Italy " sixteen 
years. He retained his faculties to near the close of life, dying 
in 1855, at the age of ninety-two. 



1 30 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

sister and family at Birmingham, he spends 
several days with his Dresden friends, the Fos- 
ters, at their residence near Bedford, where of 
course he is received with the most cordial wel- 
come. He subsequently makes a hasty excur- 
sion to Yorkshire. 

Amid these various summer visits and move- 
ments Irving was giving the finishing touches 
to his new work and passing it through the 
press. Having corrected the last proof-sheet, 
and completed the financial arrangements with 
his publisher, he immediately left London, and 
two days afterward he was at his lodgings, a 
few miles out from Paris. 

The " Tales of a Traveler " was published in 
London, August 25. Its publication at New 
York was in four numbers, ranging from Au- 
gust 24 to October 9, at which date the Ameri- 
can edition was completed. 

In a very prompt letter from Moore is the 
following : " Your book is delightful. I never 
can answer for what the public will like, but if 
they do not devour this with their best appetite 
then is good writing, good fun, good sense, 
and all other goods of authorship thrown away 
upon them." 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 131 

But men, alas ! and even friends, do not al- 
ways tell an author their inmost thoughts 
touching the efforts of his pen. This same 
Moore about the same time thus enters in his 
diary : " Irving read me some parts of his new- 
work, ' Tales of a Traveler.' Rather tremble 
for its fate." In fact, as a general thing, this 
work was received by the English public with 
less favor than its two predecessors, and it was 
severely criticised in several of the British Re- 
views. The " London Quarterly " finds little 
to commend save Buchthorne's autobiography, 
which is pronounced to be excellent, while 
most of the remaining pieces are little else than 
" the sweepings of the Sketch Book." 

Buckthorne's visit in his mature years to his 
native village will call up meetings and memo- 
ries similar to his in more minds than one. 

"As I was rambling pensively through a 
neighboring meadow, in which I had many a 
time gathered primroses, I met the very peda- 
gogue who had been the tyrant and dread of 
my boyhood. I had sometimes vowed to my- 
self, when suffering under his rod, that I would 
have my revenge if I ever met him when I had 
grown to be a man. The time had come, but I 



132 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

had no disposition to keep my vow. The few 
years which had matured me into a vigorous 
man had shrunk him into decrepitude. He ap- 
peared to have had a paralytic stroke. I looked 
at him, and wondered that this poor, helpless 
mortal could have been an object of terror to me ; 
that I should have watched with anxiety the 
glance of that failing eye, or dreaded the power 
of that trembling hand. He tottered feebly 
along the path, and had some difficulty in get- 
ting over a stile. I ran and assisted him. He 
looked at me with surprise, but did not recog- 
nize me, and made a low bow of humility and 
thanks. I had no disposition to make myself 
known, for I felt that I had nothing to boast of. 
The pains he had taken and the pains he had 
inflicted had been equally useless. His re- 
peated predictions had been fully verified, and 
I felt that little Jack Buckthorne, the idle boy, 
had grown to be a very good-for-nothing man." 

Farther on are portrayed Buckthorne's visit to 
his mother's grave, and his experiences there. 

" I sought my mother's grave. The weeds 
were already matted over it, and the tombstone 
was half hid among nettles. I cleared them 
away, and they stung my hands ; but I was 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 133 

heedless of the pain, for my heart ached too 
severely. I sat down on the grave and read 
over and over again the epitaph on the stone. 

" It was simple, but it was true. I had writ- 
ten it myself. I had tried to write a poetical 
epitaph, but in vain. My feelings refused to 
utter themselves in rhyme. My heart had 
gradually been filling during my lonely wander- 
ings ; it was now charged to the brim and over- 
flowed. I sank upon the grave, and buried my 
face in the tall grass, and wept like a child. 
Yes, I wept in manhood upon the grave as I 
had in infancy upon the bosom of my mother. 
Alas ! how little do we appreciate a mother's 
tenderness while living ! How heedless are we 
in youth of all her anxieties and kindness ! 
But when she is dead and gone, when the cares 
and coldness of the world come withering to 
our hearts, when we find how hard it is to find 
true sympathy — how few love us for ourselves, 
how few will befriend us in our misfortunes — 
then it is that we think of the mother we have 
lost. It is true I had always loved my mother, 
even in my most heedless days ; but I felt how 
inconsiderate and ineffectual had been my love. 
My heart melted as I retraced the days of in- 



134 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

fancy, when I was led by a mother's hand, and 
rocked to sleep in a mother's arms, and was 
without care or sorrow. ' O my mother ! ' ex- 
claimed I, burying my face again in the grass 
of the grave ; ' O that I were once more by 
your side, sleeping never to wake again on the 
cares and troubles of this world ! ' " 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 135 



CHAPTER XIX. 

BLACKWOOD" for January, 1825, in- 
dulges in a sort of sweeping and amus- 
ing resume of Irving and so many of his works 
as have thus far been alluded to, and compris- 
ing a curious intermingling of the sweet and 
bitter. It considers that the author had been 
abused by overmuch praise, and then by being 
treacherously neglected by his friends, and af- 
fects to come to the rescue and generously 
place him upon his true position. 

" Yes, it is time," says ' Blackwood/ (John 
Neal,) "for us to interpose. We throw our 
shield over him, therefore. We undertake, 
once for all, to see fair play. Open the field, 
withdraw the rabble, drive back the dogs, give 
him fair play, and we will answer for his acquit- 
ting himself like a man. If he do not, why let 
him be torn to pieces and be — 

" In the day of his popularity we showed him 
no favor ; in this, the day of his tribulation, we 
shall show him none. He does not require 



1 36 Memoir of Washington Irviiig. 

any. We saw his faults when there was no- 
body else to see them. We put our finger 
upon the sore places about him ; drove our 
weapon home, up to the hilt, wherever we 
found a hole in his beautiful armor — a joint 
visible in his golden harness ; treated him, in 
short, as he deserves to be treated, like a man ; 
but we have never done, we never will do him 
wrong. . . . 

" One word of his life and personal appear- 
ance (both of which are laughably misrepre- 
sented) before we take up his works. He was 
born, we believe, in the city of New York ; began 
to write for a newspaper at an early age ; read 
law, but gave it up in despair, feeling, as Cow- 
per did before him, a disqualifying constitutional 
timidity which would not permit him to go out 
into public life ; engaged in mercantile adven- 
ture ; appeared first in ' Salmagundi ;' wrote 
some articles for the American magazines ; was 
unsuccessful in business ; embarked for En- 
gland, where, since he came to be popular, any- 
body may trace him. 

" He is now in his fortieth year * — about five 
feet seven, agreeable countenance, black hair, 

c Mistake ; in his forty-third year. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 137 

manly complexion ; fine hazel eyes when lighted 
up, heavy in general ; talks better than he writes 
when worthily excited, but falls asleep, literally 
asleep, in his chair at a formal dinner party in 
high life ; half the time in a revery ; a little im- 
pediment, a sort of uneasy, anxious, catching 
inspiration of the voice when talking zealously ; 
writes a small neat hand like Montgomery, Allan 
Cunningham or Shea, (it is like that of each ;) 
indolent, nervous, irritable, easily depressed, 
easily disheartened, very amiable, no appear- 
ance of special refinement, nothing remarkable, 
nothing uncommon about him ; precisely such a 
man, to say all in a word, as people would con- 
tinually overlook, pass by without notice or forget 
after dining with him, unless, peradventure, his 
name were mentioned, in which case, odds-bobs ! 
they are all able to recall something remarkable 
in his way of sitting, eating, or looking, though, 
like Oliver Goldsmith himself, he had never 
opened his mouth while they were near, or sat in 
a high chair, as far into it as he could get, with 
his toes just reaching the floor. 

" We come now to the works of Geoffrey : 
" I. The Newspaper Essays. — Boyish, theatrical 
criticisms, nothing more ; foolishly and wickedly 



138 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

reproduced by some base, mercenary country- 
man of his, from the rubbish of old printing-offi- 
ces, put forth as ' by the AutJwr of the Sketch- 
Book! How could such things be * by the Au- 
thor of the Sketch-Book/ written, as they were, 
twenty years before the Sketch-Book was thought 
of ? By whom were they written ? By a boy. 
Was he the author of what we call ■ The Sketch- 
Book ? ' No. The Sketch-Book was written by 
a man, a full-grown man. Ergo, the American 
publisher told a — . Nevertheless, there is a 
touch of Irving' s quality in these pages, paltry 
as they are ; a little of that happy, sly humor, 
that grave pleasantry, (wherein he resembles 
Goldsmith so much,) that quiet, shrewd, good- 
humored sense of the ridiculous, which alto- 
gether, in our opinion, go to make up the chief 
excellence of Geoffrey, that which will outlive 
the fashion of this day, and set him apart, after 
all, from every writer in our language. 

" Salamagnndi ; or Whim-Whams. — It is a 
work in two volumes duodecimo ; essays after 
the manner of Goldsmith — a downright, secret, 
labored, continual imitation of him, abounding 
too in plagiarisms. The title is from our English 
Flim-Flams ; Oriental Papers, The Little Man 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 139 

in Black, etc., from the ' Citizen of the World ;' 
Parts are capital ; as a whole, the work is quite 
superior to any thing of the kind which this age 
has produced. . . . 

" Knickerbocker. — A droll, humorous history 
of New York, while the Dutch who settled it 
were in power, conceived, matured, and brought 
forth in a bold original temper, unaided and 
alone, by Irving ; more entirely the natural 
thought, language, humor, and feeling of the 
man himself, without imitation or plagiarism — far 
more — than either of his late works. It is written 
too in the fervor and flush of his popularity at 
home, after he had got a name such as no other 
man had among his countrymen ; after Salma- 
gundi had been read with pleasure all over 
North America. In it, however, there is a world 
of rich allusion, a vein of sober caricature, the 
merit of which is little understood here. Take 
an example : ' Von Poffenburg ' is a portrait — 
outrageously distorted on some accounts, but, 
nevertheless, a portrait — of General Wilkinson, 
a 'bellipotent' officer who sent in a bill to Con- 
gress for sugar-plums, or cigars, or both, after 
I throwing up ' — in disgust, we dare say, as ' he 
could not stomach it' — his military command 



140 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

upon the Florida frontier. So, too, in the three 
Dutch governors we could point out a multitude 
of laughable secret allusions to three of the 
American chief magistrates — Adams, Jefferson, 
Madison — which have not always been well un- 
derstood anywhere by any body, save those who 
are familiar with American history. 

" By nine readers out of ten, perhaps, Knick- 
erbocker is read as a piece of generous drollery, 
nothing more. Be it so. It will wear the better ; 
the design of Irving himself is not always clear, 
nor was he always undeviating in his course. 
Truth or fable, fact or falsehood, it was all the 
same to him if a bit of material came in his 
way. 

" In a word, we look upon this volume of 
Knickerbocker — though it is tiresome, though 
there are some wretched failures in it, a little 
overdoing of the humorous, and a little confusion 
of purpose throughout — as a work honorable to 
English literature; manly, bold, and so alto- 
gether original, without being extravagant, as to 
stand alone among the labors of men. 

"Naval Biography. — Some of these papers 
are bravely done. In general they are eloquent, 
simple, clear, and beautiful. Among the ' Lives,' 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 141 

that of poor Perry, the young fresh-water Nelson, 
who swept Lake Erie of our fleet in such a gal- 
lant, seaman-like style, is quite remarkable, as 
containing within itself proof that Irving has 
the heart of a poet. ... It is not when he tries 
that Irving is poetical. It is only where he is 
transported suddenly by some beautiful thought 
— carried away, without knowing why, by inward 
music, his heart beating, his respiration hurried. 
He is never the man to call up the anointed 
before him at will, to imagine spectacles, or 
people the air, earth, and sea, like a wizard, by 
the waving of his hand. He has only the heart 
of a poet. He has not, he never will have, the 
power of one. It is too late now. Power comes 
of perpetual warfare, trial, hardship ; he has 
grown up in perpetual quiet, sunshine, a sort of 
genteel repose. He may continue, therefore, to 
feel poetry, to think poetry, to utter poetry, by 
chance ; but he will never be able to do poetry 
now as he might have done it before this, if he 
had been worthily tempered, year after year, by 
wind or fire, rain or storm. 

" Sketch-Book. — Irving had now come to be 
regarded as a professional author ; to think of 
his pen for a livelihood. His mercantile specu- 



142 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

lations were disastrous. We are glad of it. It 
is all the better for him, his country, our litera- 
ture, us. But for that lucky misfortune he 
would never have been half what he now is. 
But for his present humiliation he would nevei 
be half what he will now be, if we rightly under- 
stand his character. 

" Strange, but so it was. The accidental 
association, the fortuitous conjunction of two or 
three young men for the purpose of amusing 
the town with a few pages a month in Salma- 
gundi, led straightway to a total change of all 
their views in life. Two of them, certainly, per- 
haps all three, became professional authors in a 
country where only one (poor Brown) had ever 
appeared before. Two of them have become 
greatly distinguished as writers ; the third (Ver- 
planck) somewhat so by the little that he has 
written. . . . 

" The Sketch-Book is a timid, beautiful work, 
with some childish pathos in it, some rich, pure, 
bold poetry, a little squeamish, puling, lady-like 
sentimentality, some courageous writing, some 
wit, and a world of humor so happy, so natural, 
so altogether unlike that of any other men, dead 
or alive, that we would rather have been the 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 143 

writer of it fifty times over than of any thing 
else that he has ever written. 

" The touches of poetry are every-where ; but 
never where one would look for them. Irving- 
has no passion ; he fails utterly in true pathos 
— cannot speak as if he were carried away by 
any thing. He is always thoughtful ; and, save 
where he tries to be fine or sentimental, always 
at home, always natural. The ' dusty splendor ' 
of Westminster Abbey — the ship ' staggering ' 
over the precipices of the ocean — the shark 
I darting like a specter through the blue waters ;' 
all these things are poetry — such poetry as 
never was, never will be surpassed. We could 
mention fifty more passages, epithets, words 
of power, which no mere prose writer would 
have dared under any circumstances to use. 
They are like the 'invincible looks' of Mil- 
ton, revealing the god in spite of every dis- 
guise. . . . 

" The bravest article that Irving ever wrote 
is that about our ' English Writers on America.' 
There is more manhood, more sincerity, more 
straight-forward, generous plain dealing in that 
one paper than, perhaps, in all his other 
works. He felt what he said, every word of it, 



144 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

had nothing to lose, and, of course, wrote in- 
trepidly. Did we like him the worse for it ? 
No, indeed. It was that very paper which 
made him respectable in this country. 

" Rip Van Winkle is well done ; but we have 
no patience with such a man as Washington 
Irving. We cannot keep our temper when we 
catch him pilfering the materials of other men — 
working up old stories. We had as lief see 
him before the public for some Bow-street 
offense. 

" The Wife is ridiculous, with some beau- 
tiful description ; but Irving, as we said before, 
has no idea of true passion, suffering, or deep, 
desolating power. 

" The Mutability of Literature. — The Art 
of Book-making, etc., are only parts of the 
same essay ; it has no superior in our lan- 
guage. . . . 

" Traits of Indian Character. — Very good, 
very ; so far as they go, historically true. Irving 
has been instrumental, however, by twice taking 
the field in favor of the North American savages. 
He has made it fashionable. 

" Bracebridge Hall. — Stout Gentlemen, very 
good, and a pretty fair account of real occur- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 145 

rence.* Student of Salamanca, beneath con- 
tempt. Irving has no idea of genuine romance, 
or love, or any thing else, we believe, that ever 
seriously troubles the blood of men. 

" Rookery. — Struck off in a few hours, con- 
trary to what has been said. Irving does not 
labor as people suppose ; he is too indolent ; 
given too much, we know, to reverie. 

" Dolph Heyliger, The Haunted House, Storm- 
Ship. — All in the fashion of his early time. 
Perhaps — we are greatly inclined so to believe 
— perhaps the remains of what was meant for 
Salmagundi or Knickerbocker ; the rest of 
the two volumes quite unworthy of Irving's 
reputation. 

" Tales of a Traveler. — We hardly know 
how to speak of this sad affair, when we think 
of what Irving might have done, without losing 
our temper. It is bad enough, base enough, to 
steal that which would make us wealthy forever ; 
but, like the plundering Arab, to steal rubbish — 
any thing, from any body, every body — would in- 
dicate a helpless moral temperament, a standard 
of self-estimation beneath every thing. No 
wonder that people have begun to question his 

* A hint of plagiarism. 
10 



146 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

originality when they find him receiving the 
paltry material of newspapers, letters, romances. 
In the early part of these two volumes we 
shall never see any merit, knowing as we 
do the sources of what he is serving up, how- 
ever admirable were his new arrangement of 
the dishes, however great his improvement. 
A part of the book, a few scenes, a few pages, 
are quite equal to any thing that he ever 
wrote." 

The reviewer thus concludes : 

" One word of advice to him before we part, 
probably, forever. No man gets credit by re- 
peating the story of another ; it is like dram- 
atizing a poet. If you succeed, he gets all the 
praise ; if you i2J\,you get all the disgrace. You, 
Geoffrey Crayon, have great power — original 
power. We rejoice in your failure now because 
we believe it will drive you into a style of origi- 
nal composition far more worthy of yourself. 
Go to work. Lose no time. Your foundations > 
will be the stronger for this reform. You can- 
not write a novel, a poem, a love-tale, or a 
tragedy. But you can write another Sketch-- 
Book worth all that you have ever written if 
you will draw only from yourself. You have: 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 147 

some qualities that no other living writer has, a 
bold, quiet humor, a rich, beautiful mode of 
painting without caricature, a delightful, free, 
happy spirit — make use of them. We look to 
see you all the better for this trouncing. God 
bless you ! Farewell." 



148 Memoir of Washington Irving. 



1 



CHAPTER XX. 

RVING, as we have seen, returned to Paris 
simultaneously with the publication of 
*' Tales of a Traveler," and from the summer of 
1824 he resided there an entire year. During 
the autumn he occupied lodgings a short dis- 
tance out of the city, in order that he might be 
free from the various annoying interruptions to 
which he was subjected in town. He had be- 
come famous in literature, and this led to sundry 
calls, and many invitations to fashionable visits, 
parties, balls, etc. ; amusements which had now 
obviously lost, in some degree, their charm for 
him, while they proved a sad interference with 
his intellectual and literary pursuits. 

At the same time, however, it is quite notice- 
able that, during the autumn of 1824, and 
throughout the year 1825, Irving accomplished 
comparatively little with his pen. His new 
work had encountered, as we have seen, some 
severe strictures from the critics both in En- 
gland and America, and his sensitive nature 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 149 

quailed under the influence, and his spirits 
were often much depressed. Some of his letters 
betray decided regrets that he had not adopted 
a different path of life, devoting himself in his 
youth to some substantial and regular employ- 
ment, and not have ventured upon the uncertain 
career of literature. To a promising nephew 
who had recently graduated, and who seemed 
somewhat inclined to a literary life, he addressed 
about this time a deeply interesting letter, in 
which he expressed a hope that none of his 
near and special friends would be led to imitate 
his example in wandering into what he terms 
" the seducive and treacherous paths of litera- 
ture." He assured his nephew that such a life 
was precarious both as to profits and enjoy- 
ment that though he had himself been some- 
what prosperous in authorship, he would 
dissuade all whom he could influence from 
hazarding their fortunes to the pen, and that 
he was anticipating with pleasure the time when 
he should be above the necessity of writing. 
" If," he adds, " you think my path has been a 
flowery one you are greatly mistaken. It has 
too often lain among thorns and brambles, and 
been darkened by care and despondency. Many 



150 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

and many a time have I regretted that at my 
early outset in life I had not been imperiously 
bound down to some regular and useful mode 
of life, and been thoroughly inured to habits of 
business ; and I have a thousand times regretted 
with bitterness that ever I was led away by my 
imagination." 

We are not yet disposed to quarrel with ad- 
monitions and reflections like these. They 
may be appropriate to pens that are employed 
mainly for bread ; but the view, on the whole, 
seems too much tinctured with what is morbid 
and worldly. The pen may have and perform 
a mission as sacred and noble as the Christian 
ministry itself, and hence duty, as truly as a 
mere expediency, may point to a diligent and 
conscientious career of authorship. With the 
views alluded to by Irving in this letter to his 
nephew a man may write or do otherwise, as 
may be his preference. But a more elevated 
and purer vision may lead one to decide and 
act on a very different principle. If it be in an 
author's mind to write for the mere amusement 
of his readers, we may conceive it optional with 
himself whether he will write or engage in one 
of sundry other occupations ; but if, on the other 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 1 5 1 

hand, there seem "a necessity upon him" to 
write for the edification of the multitude, then 
the optional feature is by no means so ap- 
parent. 

As winter came on Irving removed into town 
and established his quarters with his brother 
Peter, who was also living a bachelor life at 
Paris. Previously, however, and in the early 
days of October, the two brothers made an ex- 
cursion into the country, that they might enjoy 
an opportunity to see more of the beautiful 
realm of France than they had yet observed. 
The weather proved to be all they could wish, 
being serene and delightful, while the golden 
autumn imparted its peculiar tints to the pleas- 
ant and sprightly scenery that opened up before 
them on every hand. Their path lay along the 
banks of the Loire, and towns and castles fa- 
mous in story, and richly wooded hills over- 
looking far-reaching vales, were spread out be- 
fore them in enchanting loveliness. After a 
nine days' ramble they returned to their winter 
quarters in Rue Richelieu, No. 89. 

Their establishment here seems to have been 
very complete and comfortable, except that it 
had to be reached by mounting several flights 



152 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

of stairs. Their rooms opened into each other, 
and were excellently well fitted up and fur- 
nished. A French servant- worn an acted as 
cook, chamber-maid, butler, and footman, " who," 
says Irving, " keeps every thing in the neatest 
order, and chatters even faster than she works." 
The brothers had their separate rooms, and each 
could follow his own business without interfering 
with the other, one of the very best libraries in 
the world was within five minutes' walk of their 
lodgings, and to which they enjoyed full and 
free access. Is not here a picture for a student 
or an author ? Surely much might be expected 
from comforts and advantages like these. 

Yet, as we have already noticed, but little 
was accomplished under circumstances so pro- 
pitious. The autumn, winter, and the succeed- 
ing spring and summer passed away, leaving 
but slight fruits of that facile and beautiful pen. 
There were attempts at plottings and plan- 
nings. One and another theme arose before 
the mind's eye. Some essays were projected 
and written with a view of being grouped into 
a volume, but they seem to have never seen the 
light. For months there are hints of "sleep- 
less nights," " uncomfortable thoughts," " a 



Memoir of Washington Irving, 153 

heavy heart," "deep depression," and the like. 
Nor while his pen was thus palsied is there 
much evidence of any systematic or extensive 
reading, though he was dwelling under the 
shadow of an immense library. His principal 
study seems to have been the Spanish language, 
which, it is presumed, he cultivated with com- 
mendable diligence, having in view even then, 
without doubt, a sojourn in Spain, and an in- 
troduction to its literature. 

Toward the last of September of this year 
the two brothers left Paris for Bordeaux, where 
they remained about four months. Here Irving 
represents himself as visiting, rambling, and 
writing some, and closes up the year with say- 
ing, " A year very little of which I would will- 
ingly live over again, though some parts have 
been tolerably pleasant." 



154 Memoir of Washington Irving. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

IN the beginning of the year 1826, and while 
still at Bordeaux, Mr. Irving writes to Mr. 
Alexander H. Everett, then United States Min- 
ister at the Court of Spain, inquiring whether 
it would be possible for him to be attached to 
the embassy, as he would then, in his contem- 
plated travels in Spain, be under its protection. 
Mr. Everett at once responded favorably, at- 
tached Irving as desired, and forwarded him a 
passport. The Minister further suggested to 
him the idea of a translation of the " Voyages of 
Columbus," just from the press by Navarette, 
and which would probably bring him a liberal 
compensation. 

Under these pleasant auspices and prospects 
the two brothers started immediately from Bor- 
deaux for Madrid, arriving February 15. An 
examination of Navarette's " Voyages " im- 
pressed him that from the character of the 
work it was better fitted as materials of history 
than as history itself, and the idea of an original 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 155 

Life of Columbus was at once suggested to his 
mind. He immediately commenced such a 
work, and prosecuted it with untiring diligence, 
sometimes writing all day and far into the night 
during five or six months. 

At the end of this time he conceived the idea 
of writing a history of the Conquest of Grena- 
da, and leaving for a time his " Columbus " he 
plunged into this new undertaking, and in three 
months the rough draft of the work was com- 
pleted, and he resumed his former manuscript. 
Hence his closing record of this year is far 
more satisfactory than that of the preceding, 
and is eminently worth quoting. " And so 
ends the year 1826, which has been a year of 
the hardest application and toil of the pen I 
have ever passed. I feel more satisfied, how- 
ever, with the manner in which I have passed 
it than I have been with that of many gayer 
years, and close this year of my life in better 
humor with myself than I have often done." 

A suggestive lesson ! The retrospect of 
"gayer years" is one; that of years of close and 
useful application is another ; and which will be 
the pleasanter of the two henceforth and always 
admits of no doubt or question. 



156 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

Irving's bow continued to " abide in strength." 
As the winter and spring advanced he still con- 
tinued diligently at his manuscript of Columbus. 
Various difficulties arose as he advanced. New 
light would spring up on one and another point 
which he deemed already settled, so that nu- 
merous passages must be rewritten which he 
had thought to be finished and nearly off of his 
hands. By the end of July, however, and about 
eighteen months from the date of its com- 
mencement, the work was completed and ready 
for the press. As was usual with him, it was 
published simultaneously in London and New 
York. 

For the copy-right of this work Mr. Irving re- 
ceived from his London publisher about sixteen 
thousand dollars. From so liberal a compensa- 
tion it may be inferred that this publisher 
esteemed the work the best that the author had 
yet written. Southey to whom the manuscript 
was first shown, praised it unqualifiedly " both 
as to matter and manner." A reviewer in the 
London Times, bating some alleged faults, ad- 
mits it to be elegantly and agreeably written — 
a most delightful production. Sir James Mack- 
intosh gave the work flattering commendations, 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 157 

and it was reviewed with special favor in the 
North American Review by Alexander H. Ev- 
erett, than whom few in the whole literary world 
were more competent to criticise fairly and 
justly such a work. 

" This," says Mr. Everett, " is one of those 
works which are at the same time the delight 
of readers and the despair of critics. It is as 
nearly perfect as any work well can be ; and 
there is, therefore, little or nothing left for the 
reviewer but to write at the bottom of every 
page, as Voltaire said he should be obliged to 
do if he published a commentary on Racine, 
PutcJire ! bene ! optime ! He has at length 
filled up the void that before existed in this 
respect in the literature of the world, and pro- 
duced a work which will fully satisfy the public, 
and supersede the necessity of any future labors 
in the same field. . . . For the particular kind 
of historical writing in which Mr. Irving is fitted 
to labor and excel, the Life of Columbus is un- 
doubtedly one of the very best, perhaps we 
might say without the fear of mistake the very 
best, subject afforded by the annals of the world. 
In treating this happy and splendid subject, Mr. 
Irving has brought out the full force of his 



158 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

genius as far as a just regard for the principles 
of historical writing would admit." 

Doubtless this testimony is conclusive touch- 
ing the merit of this work, although numerous 
others might be easily adduced, and from the 
most respectable sources, such as Prescott, 
Story, Kent, etc. 

We must indulge in an extract or two : 
I. The Man. — " He was, at that time, in the 
full vigor of manhood, and of an engaging pres- 
ence. Minute descriptions are given of his 
person by his son Fernando, by Las Casas, and 
others of his contemporaries. According to 
these accounts, he was tall, well-formed, muscular, 
and of an elevated and dignified demeanor. His 
visage was long, and neither full nor meager ; 
his complexion fair and freckled, and inclined to 
ruddy ; his nose aquiline ; his cheek-bones were 
rather high, his eyes light gray and apt to en- 
kindle ; his whole countenance had an air of 
authority. His hair in his youthful days was 
of a light color, but care and trouble, according 
to Las Casas, soon turned it to gray, and at 
thirty years of age it was quite white. He was 
moderate and simple in diet and apparel, elo- 
quent in discourse, engaging and affable with 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 159 

strangers, and of an amiableness and suavity in 
domestic life that strongly attached his house- 
hold to his person. His temper was naturally 
irritable, but he subdued it by the magnanimity 
of his spirit, comporting himself with a courteous 
and gentle gravity, and never indulging in any 
intemperance of language. Throughout his life 
he was noted for a strict attention to the offices 
of religion, observing rigorously the fasts and 
ceremonies of the Church ; nor did his piety 
consist in mere forms, but partook of that lofty 
and solemn enthusiasm with which his whole 
character was strongly marked." 

2. The Ships. — " After the great difficulties 
made by various courts in furnishing this expe- 
dition, it is surprising how inconsiderable an 
armament was required. It is evident that Co- 
lumbus had reduced his requisitions to the nar- 
rowest limits, lest any great expense should 
cause impediment. Three small vessels were 
apparently all that he had requested. Two of 
them were light barks, called caravels, not 
superior to river and coasting craft of more 
modern days. Representations of this class of 
vessels exist in old prints and paintings. They 
are delineated as open and without deck in the 



160 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

center, but built up high at the prow and stern, 
with forecastles and cabins for the accommoda- 
tion of the crew. Peter Martyr, the learned 
contemporary of Columbus, says that only one of 
the three vessels was decked. The smallness 
of the vessels was considered an advantage by 
Columbus in a voyage of discovery, enabling 
him to run close to the shores and to enter 
shallow rivers and harbors. In his third voyage, 
when coasting the gulf of Paria, he complained 
of the size of his ship, being nearly a hundred 
tons burden. But that such long and perilous 
expeditions into unknown seas should be under- 
taken in vessels without decks, and that they 
should live through violent tempests, by which 
they were frequently assailed, remain among the 
singular circumstances of these daring voyages." 
3. The Approach. — " For three days they stood 
in this direction, and the further they went the 
more frequent and encouraging were the signs 
of land. Flights of small birds of various colors, 
some of them such as sing in the fields, came fly- 
ing about the ships, and then continued toward 
the south-west, and others were heard also flying 
by in the night. Funny-fish played about the 
smooth sea, and a heron, a pelican, and a duck 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 161 

were seen, all bound in the same direction. The 
herbage which floated by the ships was fresh 
and green, as if recently from land ; and the air, 
Columbus observes, was sweet and fragrant as 
April breezes in Seville. 

" All these, however, were regarded by the 
crews as so many delusions beguiling them on 
to destruction ; and when, on the evening of the 
third day, they beheld the sun go down upon 
a shoreless horizon, they broke forth into 
clamorous turbulence. Fortunately, however, 
the manifestations of neighboring land were 
such on the following day as no longer to admit 
a doubt. Besides a quantity of fresh weeds 
such as grow in rivers, they saw a green fish of 
a kind which keeps about rocks ; then a branch 
of thorn with berries on it, and recently sep- 
arated from the tree, floated by them. Then 
they picked up a reed, a small board, and above 
all, a staff artificially carved. All gloom and 
mutiny now gave way to sanguine expectation, 
and throughout the day each one was eagerly 
on the watch in hopes of being the first to dis- 
cover the long-sought-for land." 

4. The Discovery. — " The greatest animation 

prevailed throughout the ships ; not an eye was 
11 



1 62 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

closed that night. As the evening darkened, 
Columbus took his station on the top of the 
castle cabin on the high poop of his vessel. 
However he might carry a cheerful and confi- 
dent countenance during the day, it was to him 
a time of the most painful anxiety ; and now 
when he was wrapped from observation by the 
shades of night, he maintained an intense and 
unremitting watch, ranging his eye along the 
dusky horizon in search of the most vague indi- 
cations of land. . . . They continued their 
course until two in the morning, when a gun 
from the Pinta gave the joyful signal of land. . . . 
The land was now clearly seen about two leagues 
distant, whereupon they took in sail and lay to, 
waiting impatiently for the dawn. 

" The thoughts and feelings of Columbus in 
this little space of time must have been tumultu- 
ous and intense. At length, in spite of every 
difficulty and danger, he had accomplished his 
object. The great mystery of the ocean was 
revealed ; his theory which had been the scoff 
of sages was triumphantly established ; he had 
secured to himself a glory which must be as 
durable as the world itself." 

5. The Landing. — " As they approached the 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 163 

shores they were refreshed by the sight of the 
ample forests, which in those climates have 
extraordinary vegetation. They beheld fruits 
of tempting hue, but unknown kind, growing 
among the trees which overhung the shores. 
The purity and suavity of the atmosphere, the 
crystal transparency of the seas which bathe 
these islands, give them a wonderful beauty, and 
must have had their effect upon the suscep- 
tible feelings of Columbus. No sooner did he 
land than he threw himself upon his knees, 
kissed the earth, and returned thanks to God 
with tears of joy. His example was followed 
by the rest, whose hearts, indeed, overflowed 
with the same feelings of gratitude." 

6. The Natives. — " The natives of the island, 
when at the dawn of day they had beheld the 
ships, with their sails set, hovering on their 
coast, had supposed them some monsters which 
had issued from the deep during the night. 
They had crowded to the beach and watched 
their movements with awful anxiety. Their 
veering about apparently without effort ; the 
shifting and furling of their sails, resembling 
huge wings, filled them with astonishment. 
When they beheld their boats approach the 



164 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

shore, and a number of strange beings clad in 
glittering steel, or raiment of various colors, 
landing upon the beach, they fled in affright 
to their woods. Finding, however, that there 
was no attempt to pursue nor molest them, they 
gradually recovered from their terror, and ap- 
proached the Spaniards with great awe, fre- 
quently prostrating themselves on the earth 
and making signs of adoration. During the 
ceremonies of taking possession, they remained 
in timid admiration at the complexion, the 
beards, the shining armor, and splendid dress 
of the Spaniards. The Admiral particularly 
attracted their attention from his commanding 
height, his air of authority, his dress of scarlet, 
and the deference which was paid him by his 
companions — all of which pointed him out to be 
the commander. When they had still further 
recovered from their fears, they approached the 
Spaniards, touched their beards, and examined 
their hands and faces, admiring their whiteness. 
Columbus, pleased with their simplicity, their 
gentleness, and the confidence they reposed in 
beings who must have appeared to them so 
strange and formidable, suffered their scrutiny 
with perfect acquiescence. The wondering 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 165 

savages were won by this benignity ; they now 
supposed that the ships had sailed out of the 
crystal firmament which bounded their horizon, 
or that they had descended from above on their 
ample wings, and that these marvelous beings 
were inhabitants of the skies." 



1 66 Memoir of Washington Irving. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

~]\ /T R. IRVING now indulged himself in an- 
•LVJ- ther considerable vacation; and, for a 
year or so after dismissing his " Columbus " to 
the publisher, we discern but little activity of 
his pen except the completion of his " Conquest 
of Grenada," some revision of his " Columbus " 
for a second edition, and various interesting 
letters to his friends. 

We find him also again in motion. Ever 
since coming to Madrid he had been hard at 
work, and had enjoyed but slight opportunities 
for excursions and sight-seeing in so interesting 
a country as Spain. He had, indeed, tran- 
siently visited Segovia, the Escurial, and Toledo, 
cities somewhat in the neighborhood of the 
capital ; but he now contemplated more exten- 
sive travels, and determined to visit a few other 
and more distant localities, and such as were of 
historic interest. 

Accordingly, in the early spring of 1828, in 
company with two friends, he started on a south- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 167 

ern tour, designing to visit some of the more 
interesting cities of Andalusia. His brother 
Peter, who had been with him at Madrid, was 
expecting to join the excursion, but increasing 
ill-health prevented the plan, and the brothers 
parted company — Peter leaving Madrid for Paris 
on the same day that Washington and his party 
left for the south. Their journey toward the 
Mediterranean was safe as well as deeply interest- 
ing. Crossing the Sierra Morena Mountains, 
they were delighted with the wild and romantic 
scenery through which they passed. Descend- 
ing, they were charmed with the balmy air and 
beautiful scenery of Andalusia. During their 
transient stay at Cordova they regaled them- 
selves with brief excursions among the neighbor- 
ing mountains, clothed with arometic shrubbery 
and glorious flowers. They saw the shining 
Guadalquivir winding through green and fertile 
plains, while in the far south rose the snowy 
summits of the Sierra Nevadas, the intervening 
landscape presenting a scene of loveliness that 
might vie with the enchanting vale of Cashmere 
itself. Thence, a few leagues bring them to 
Granada, so full of historical recollections, 
wherein, from his recent studies, he was so deeply 



1 68 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

interested, and which he was so well prepared 
to appreciate. With a sort of ecstasy, Irving, 
as he approached the city, caught his first 
glimpse of the Alhambra bathed in the purple 
radiance of the evening sun. Here, with his 
traveling companions, he lingered for several 
days surveying the city and its envirous. But 
with Irving the ancient palace of the Alhambra 
was the special point of interest. He seemed 
never weary of lingering amid the charming 
scenery here presented to view, and he writes 
enthusiastically of the "delicately ornamented 
walls, the aromatic groves mingling with the 
freshness and the enlivening sound of fount- 
ains and the runs of water, the retired baths 
bespeaking purity and refinement, the balconies 
and galleries open to the fresh mountain breeze, 
and overlooking the loveliest scenery of the 
valley of the Darro and the magnificent expanse 
of the vega." And he adds that it is "im- 
possible to contemplate this delicious abode and 
not feel an admiration of this genius and the poet- 
ical spirit of those who first devised this earthly 
paradise." He delights to escape from the 
noise and turmoil of the city, and roam amid 
these groves and gardens of beauty, and along 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 169 

the magnificent colonnades, and marble halls, 
and mouldering towers — his mind, the while, 
crowded with the historical associations that 
enwreathe themselves with every object that 
meets his eye. 

Yet he cannot at present linger ; and in a 
few days he is off for Malaga. The route is 
deeply interesting, yet laborious and fatiguing, 
lying sometimes amid savage scenes and a deso- 
late country, now passing over stern mountain 
regions, and then again traversing little fertile 
and lovely vales locked up in mountain embraces, 
while at times the glorious Mediterranean would 
rise on the delighted vision like as when the 
retreating Greeks shouted, " The Sea, the Sea ! " 
as the dark and heaving Euxine burst upon their 
view. Far away on the deep frequent sails 
were in sight, brilliant amid the sunshine, and 
sometimes away below them upon the sandy 
beach fishermen were drawing their nets with 
shouts and songs. "Our road at times," he 
writes, " wound along the face of vast promon- 
tories, where we rode along a path formed like 
a cornice, whence we looked down upon the 
surf beating upon the rocks at an immense 
distance below us ;" and here and there a 



1 70 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

cross would be erected at the road-side, desig- 
nating the spot where some hapless traveler 
had been waylaid and murdered by prowling 
banditti. 

No disaster, however, occurred to our travel- 
ers, and nine days of journeying brought them 
to Malaga. Here, also, they passed several 
days, receiving great attention and hospitality 
from the American Consul. Then, by way of 
the mountains of Ronda, they visited Gibraltar, 
where they were again overwhelmed with kind- 
ness and hospitality. Cadiz Irving pronounces 
one of the most beautiful of cities, whence, after 
a sojourn of two days, and taking leave of his 
traveling companions, he embarks by steam for 
Seville, distant sixty miles up the Guadalquivir. 
After a fine sail of twelve hours he reached the 
city, April 14, and thus concluded what he es- 
teemed one of the most intensely interesting tours 
he had ever made. He deemed the Andalusians 
an admirable people, and was delighted with 
the country as well as its inhabitants. " They 
are further removed," he says, "from the rest 
of Europeans in their characteristics than any 
of the people of Spain that I have seen. They 
belong more to Africa in many of their traits 






Memoir of Washington Irving. 1 7 1 

and habitudes ; and when I am mingling among 
them in some of their old country towns, I can 
scarcely persuade myself that the expulsion of 
the Moors has been any thing more than 
nominal." 



172 Memoir of Washington Irving. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

1\ /T R. IRVING had planned to remain sev- 
-L » -1- eral weeks at Seville for the purpose of 
finishing and preparing for the press his " Con- 
quest of Granada." He lingered here, however, 
more than a year, spending six weeks of the 
summer months without the walls of the city. 
He had here as a companion a young English- 
man in delicate health, Mr. John N. Hall, who 
had been his fellow-lodger also in the city. 
His sketches of his little suburban home are 
especially attractive. It was a lonely spot, about 
two miles from town, and the cottage was inclosed 
within a high wall, and the keeper locked them 
in at sunset for the night. In the rear of the 
cottage was a little garden full of orange and 
citron trees, with a porch overhung with grape- 
vines and jessamines. " The place," he writes, 
" suits me from its uninterrupted quiet. I pass 
my time here completely undisturbed, having 
no visits to pay or receive. It is a long time 
since I have been so tranquil, so completely in- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 173 

sulated, so free from the noises and distractions 
of the town, and I cannot tell you how much I 
relish it." 

Further on we find similar contented mus- 
ings and rational moralizings : " We are great 
cheats to ourselves, and defraud ourselves out 
of a great portion of this our petty term of ex- 
istence, filling it up with idle ceremonies and 
irksome occupations and unnecessary cares. 
By dint of passing our time in the distractions 
of a continual succession of society we lose all 
intimacy with what ought to be our best and 
most cherished society — ourselves ; and by fixing 
our attention on the vapid amusements and pal- 
try splendors of a town, we lose all perceptions 
of the serene and elevating pleasures and the 
magnificent spectacles presented us by Nature. 
What soiree in Madrid could repay me for a 
calm, delicious evening passed here among the 
old trees of the garden, in untroubled thought 
or unbroken reverie ? or what splendor of ball- 
room or court itself can equal the glory of sun- 
set or the serene magnificence of the moon and 
stars shining so clearly above me ? " 

During Mr. Irving's stay in this retirement 
he pens a letter to a young friend, whose ac- 



1 74 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

quaintance he had made at Madrid — Prince 
Dolgorouki, Secretary of Legation to the Rus- 
sian embassy there. So excellent are some 
sentiments of this letter, and so appropriate to 
multitudes of youth, that we cannot forbear 
presenting a single extract. "You repine at 
times," he writes, " at the futility of the gay and 
great world about you. The world is pretty 
much what we make it, and it will be filled up 
with nullities and trifles if we suffer them to 
occupy our attention. . . . Fix your attention on 
noble objects and noble purposes, and sacrifice 
all temporary and trivial things to their attain- 
ment. Consider every thing not as to its pres- 
ent importance and effect, but with relation to 
what it is to produce some time hence. ... In 
society let what is merely amusing occupy but 
the waste moments of your leisure and the mere 
surface of your thoughts ; cultivate such inti- 
macies only as may ripen into lasting friend- 
ship or furnish your memory with valuable 
recollections. Above all, mark one line in 
which to excel, and bend all your thoughts and 
exertions to rise to eminence, or rather to ad- 
vance toward perfection, in that line. In this 
way you will find your views gradually con- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 175 

verging toward one point instead of being dis- 
tracted by a thousand objects." 

About the middle of August Mr. Irving 
made a brief visit to Palos, the port from which 
Columbus sailed on his voyage of discovery to 
the western world. Here he viewed every spot 
memorable in connection with the great expe- 
dition, and inquired diligently into every thing 
relating to Columbus and his history. A fort- 
night after returning from this excursion him- 
self and his companion sought a cooler residence 
on the shores of the bay of Cadiz, and about 
eight miles from the city. Here they occupied 
a little country-seat, bearing the pleasant name 
of CerillOy crowning the summit of a hill, and 
commanding an extensive and charming pros- 
pect — Cadiz and its beautiful bay before them, 
and the mountains of Ronda towering aloft far 
away in the eastern horizon. 

The " Conquest of Granada " was now fin- 
ished, and the portion which was copied — 
about half the first volume — was immediately 
dispatched to London and New York for pub- 
lication, and the remainder was to follow as fast 
as copied. The author also dispatched to En- 
gland and this country his revised edition of 



1 76 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

" Columbus." The copy-right of the " Con- 
quest " for five years brought him $4,750 in 
New York, and 2,000 guineas at London for 
the permanent copy-right. 

From the opening chapter of the "Conquest" 
we quote the description of the kingdom and 
city of Granada previous to the conquest, to- 
gether with its people, military character and 
political position. 

" This renowned kingdom, situated in the 
southern part of Spain, and washed on one 
side by the Mediterranean Sea, was trav- 
ersed in every direction by sierras or chains 
of lofty and rugged mountains, naked, rocky, 
and precipitous, rendering it almost impreg- 
nable, but locking up within their sterile em- 
braces deep, rich, and verdant valleys of prodi- 
gal fertility. 

" In the center of the kingdom lay its capital, 
the beautiful city of Granada, sheltered, as it 
were, in the lap of the Sierra Nevada, or Snowy 
Mountains. Its houses, seventy thousand in 
number, covered two lofty hills with their de- 
clivities, and a deep valley between them, 
through which flowed the Duero. The streets 
were narrow, as is usual in Moorish and Arab 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 177 

cities, but there were occasionally small squares 
and open places. The houses had gardens and 
interior courts set out with orange, citron, and 
pomegranate trees, and refreshed by fountains, 
so that as the edifices ranged above each other 
up the sides of the hills, they presented a de- 
lightful appearance of mingled grove and city. 
One of the hills was surmounted by the Alcaz- 
aba, a strong fortress commanding all that 
part of the city ; the other by the Alhambra, a 
royal palace and warrior castle, capable of con- 
taining within its alcazar and towers a garrison 
of forty thousand men, but possessing also its 
harem, the voluptuous abode of the Moorish 
monarchs, laid out with courts and gardens, 
fountains, and baths, and stately halls deco- 
rated in the most costly style of oriental luxury. 
According to the Moorish tradition, the king 
who built this mighty and magnificent pile was 
skilled in the occult sciences, and furnished 
himself with the necessary funds by means of 
alchemy. Such was its lavish splendor that 
even at the present day the stranger, wandering 
through its silent courts and deserted halls, 
gazes with astonishment at gilded ceilings and 

fretted domes, the brilliancy and beauty of 
12 



178 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

which have survived the vicissitudes of war and 
the silent dilapidations of ages. 

u The city was surrounded by high walls 
three leagues in circuit, furnished with twelve 
gates and a thousand and thirty towers. Its 
elevation above the sea, and the neighborhood 
of the Sierra Nevada crowned with perpetual 
snows, tempered the fervid rays of summer, so 
that while other cities were panting with the 
sultry and stifling heat of the dog-days, the most 
salubrious breezes played through the marble 
halls of Granada. 

" The glory of the city, however, was its vega 
or plain, which spread out to a circumference of 
thirty-seven leagues, surrounded by lofty mount- 
ains, and was proudly compared to the famous 
plain of Damascus. It was a vast garden of de- 
light, refreshed by numerous fountains, and by 
the silver windings of the Xenil. The labor 
and ingenuity of the Moors had diverted the 
waters of this river into thousands of rills and 
streams, and diffused them over the whole sur- 
face of the plain. Indeed they had wrought up 
this happy region to a wonderful degree of pros- 
perity, and took a pride in decorating it as if it 
had been a favorite mistress. The hills were 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 179 

clothed with orchards and vineyards, the valleys 
embroidered with gardens, and the wide plains 
covered with waving grain. Here were seen in 
profusion the orange, the citron, the fig, and 
pomegranate, with great plantations of mulberry- 
trees, from which was produced the finest silk. 
The vine clambered from tree to tree, the grapes 
hung in rich clusters about the peasant's cottage, 
and the groves were rejoiced by the perpetual 
song of the nightingale. In a word so beautiful 
was the earth, so pure the air, and so serene the 
sky of this delicious region, that the Moors im- 
agined the paradise of their prophet to be situa- 
ted in that part of the heaven which overhung 
the kingdom of Granada. 

" Within this favored realm, so prodigally en- 
dowed, and so strongly fortified by nature, the 
Moslem wealth, valor, and intelligence which 
had once shed such luster over Spain, had 
gradually retired, and here they made their final 
stand. Granada had risen to splendor on the 
ruin of other Moslem kingdoms, but in so doing 
had become the sole object of Christian hostility, 
and had to maintain its very existence by the 
sword. The Moorish capital accordingly pre- 
sented a singular scene of Asiatic luxury and 



180 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

refinement, mingled with the glitter and the din 
of arms. Letters were still cultivated, philoso- 
phy and poetry had their schools and disciples, 
and the language spoken was said to be the 
most elegant Arabic. A passion for dress and 
ornament pervaded all ranks. That of the prin- 
cesses and ladies of high rank, says Al Kattib, 
one of their own writers, was carried to a height 
of luxury and magnificence that bordered on de- 
lirium. They wore girdles and bracelets, and 
anklets of gold and silver wrought with exquisite 
art and delicacy, and studded with jacinths, 
chrysolites, emeralds, and other precious stones. 
They were fond of braiding and decorating their 
beautiful long tresses, or confining them in knots 
sparkling with jewels. They were finely formed, 
excessively fair, graceful in their manners, and 
fascinating in their conversation. ' When they 
smiled,' says Al Kattib, ' they displayed teeth 
of dazzling whiteness, and their breath was as 
the perfume of flowers.' 

" The Moorish cavaliers, when not in armor, 
delight in dressing themselves in Persian style, 
in garments of wool, of silk, or cotton, of the 
finest texture, beautifully wrought with stripes 
of various colors. In winter they wore, as an 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 181 

outer garment, the African cloak of Tunisian 
albornoz ; but in the heat of summer they ar- 
rayed themselves in linen of spotless whiteness. 
The same luxury prevailed in their military 
equipments. Their armor was inlaid and chased 
with gold and silver. The sheaths of their 
cimeters were richly labored and enameled ; 
the blades were of Damascus, bearing texts 
from the Koran, or martial and amorous mot- 
toes ; the belts were of golden filigree, studded 
with gems ; their poniards of Fez, were wrought 
in the arabesque fashion ; their lances bore 
gay banderoles ; their horses were sumptuously 
caparisoned with housings of green and crimson 
velvet, wrought with silk, and enameled with 
gold and silver. All this warlike luxury of the 
youthful chivalry was encouraged by the Moor- 
ish kings, who ordained that no tax should be 
imposed on the gold and silver employed in 
these embellishments, and the same exception 
was extended to the bracelets and other orna- 
ments worn by the fair dames of Granada. 

" War was the normal state of Granada and 
its inhabitants. The common people were sub- 
ject at any moment to be summoned to the 
field, and all the upper class was a brilliant 



1 82 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

chivalry. The Christian princes, so successful 
in regaining the rest of the peninsula, found 
their triumphs checked at the mountain barriers 
of this kingdom. Every peak had its atalaya or 
watch-tower, ready to make its fire by night, or 
to send up its column of smoke by day, a signal 
of invasion at which the whole country was on 
the alert. To penetrate the defiles of this 
perilous country ; to surprise a frontier fortress ; 
or to make a foray into the vega and a hasty 
ravage within sight of the very capital, were 
among the most favorite and daring exploits of 
the Castilian chivalry. But they never pre- 
tended to hold the region thus ravaged ; it was 
sack, burn, plunder, and away ! and these deso- 
lating inroads were retaliated in kind by the 
Moorish cavaliers, whose greatest delight was a 
tala, or predatory excursion into the Christian 
territories beyond the mountains." 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 183 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

A BOUT this time Mr. Irving's London pub- 
*■*- lisher, Mr. Murray, proposed to him the 
editorship of a new monthly magazine which he 
was intending to publish, and offered him a 
salary of five thousand dollars, besides a liberal 
compensation for any original articles of his own 
which he might be inclined to furnish. Mr. 
Murray also offered him one hundred guineas 
per article for any contributions to the Quarterly 
Review. Both of these offers were declined, 
the former for the reason that he was unwilling 
to enter into any permanent engagements that 
would prevent him from returning to his native 
country, which he was now longing to do ; and 
he declined the offer for the Review articles, 
owing to its hostility to the United States. 

About the first of November, Irving returned 
to Seville, where he shortly received a letter 
from his brother Peter at London, notifying him 
that some one in the United States was prepar- 
ing an abridgment of his " History of Columbus," 



184 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

and urging him to forestall this undertaking, 
and himself to provide immediately such an 
abridgment. Realizing the importance of this 
matter, he at once entered upon the work, and 
completed it in nineteen days, making a book 
of about four hundred pages. A number of 
hands were employed in copying the manuscript, 
and in a little more than a month from the day 
of commencing it the work was on its way to 
America. He also forwarded a manuscript copy 
to his London publisher as a gratuity, who at 
once disposed of an entire edition often thousand 
copies as one of the volumes of his Family Li- 
brary. At New York the abridgment was dis- 
posed of to the purchasers of the first una- 
bridged edition, and the right of printing a 
second edition of the latter, together with the 
abridgment for five years, was sold to the same 
purchaser for six thousand dollars. 

Shortly after Irving's return to Seville, he 
received news of the death of Mr. Hall, who had 
had been his fellow-lodger for the six months 
past, and to whom he had become very much 
attached, and whose death he very sincerely 
mourned. " It is a long while," he writes to a 
friend, " since I have lived in such domestic 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 185 

intimacy with any one but my brother. I could 
not have thought that a mere stranger in so 
short a space of time could have taken such a 
hold upon my feelings." 

In reviewing at its close the year 1828, Mr. 
Irving speaks of it as a year of much literary 
application, and one of the most tranquil of his 
life. The success of his " Columbus " had been 
greater than anticipated, and had given him 
hopes of executing something of greater perma- 
nence than what he could reasonably expect for 
his works of mere imagination ; and he looked 
toward the future with a cheerful heart, es- 
pecially as he now was anticipating a speedy 
return to his native country. 

At the commencement of the year 1829 Mr. 
Irving was honored with a Diploma as Corre- 
sponding Member of the Royal Academy of 
History at Madrid. During the winter and 
beyond, he seems to be again resting upon his 
laurels. There is not much moving of his pen 
and no important undertaking is on hand. His 
correspondence indicates a longing for home, 
while yet he feels that the time to return has 
not yet arrived. He anticipates that a season 
of dissipation will inevitably follow his return, 



1 86 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

when he would not for some time be able to 
resume any important literary labor. Hence 
he is anxious to have some such enterprise in 
progress so far that it can be carried for- 
ward in spite of any slight diversions or inter- 
ruptions. 

Nor does he seem in readiness to leave Spain, 
a country which, together with its people, had 
for Irving a special attraction. Thus, in a letter 
to his friend, Prince Dolgorouki, he writes, " I 
feel so attached to Spain that the thoughts of 
soon leaving it are extremely painful to me ; 
and it will be gratifying to me to take a fare- 
well view of some of its finest scenes in com- 
pany with one who knows how to appreciate 
this noble country and noble people." 

As may be inferred from the above extract, 
the two gentlemen had planned an excursion 
together to some of the more interesting cities 
of Spain, and about the middle of April, 1829, 
the Prince arrives at Seville from Madrid. On 
May-day the two travelers set off together, on 
horseback for Granada, when, after a pleasant 
journey of five days, they arrive safely. After 
a twelve days' sojourn at a hotel, they change 
their quarters for the Governor's vacant apart- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 187 

ments in the palace of the Alhambra. Here, 
as may well be supposed, Mr. Irving was in his 
element, and was accommodated in accordance 
with his heart's best wishes. It appears that 
they had obtained permission from the Govern- 
or to occupy one or two of his own apart- 
ments ; " and you may easily imagine," he 
writes to his brother Peter, " how delightfully 
we are lodged, with the whole pile at our com- 
mand, to ramble over its halls and courts at all 
hours of day and night without control. The 
part we inhabit is intended for the Governor's 
quarters ; but he prefers at present residing 
down in the city. We have an excellent old 
dame, and her good humored, bright-eyed niece, 
who have charge of the Alhambra, who arrange 
our rooms, meals, etc., with the assistance of a 
tall servant-boy ; and thus we live, quietly, 
snugly, and without any restraint, elevated 
above the world and its troubles." 

In a few days Prince Dolgorouki sets off to 
pursue his travels through Andalusia ; and Irv- 
ing seems to have been left in sole possession 
of the palace. He writes of feeling at first 
somewhat "lonely and doleful." For a time 
the weather was wet and cold, and there was a 



1 88 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

cheerless aspect around those marble and lofty 
halls. But pleasant weather and balmy sun- 
shine came at length, and restored all the charms 
of the Alhambra. Soon, also, he is again at work 
among his books and manuscripts, and becomes 
busy and cheerful. " I breakfast," says he, " in 
the saloons of the embassadors, or among the 
flowers and fountains in the Court of the Lions ; 
and when I am not occupied with my pen I 
lounge with my book about these oriental apart- 
ments, or stroll about the courts and gardens 
and arcades, by day or night, with no one to 
interrupt me. It absolutely appears to me like 
a dream, or as if I am spell-bound in some fairy 
palace."' 

On the ioth of June Irving finished his 
work entitled " Legends of the Conquest of 
Spain," a production which was not published 
till several years afterward. About the same 
time he received notice of his appointment as 
" Secretary of Legation to London " — a piece of 
intelligence which seems to have given him but 
little pleasure, as such an office would proba- 
bly interfere very seriously with all his literary 
plans. " I confess," he writes to a friend, " I 
feel extremely reluctant to give up my quiet 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 1 89 

and independent mode of life, and am exces- 
sively perplexed. There are many private 
reasons that urge me on, independent of the 
wishes of my friends, while my antipathy to the 
bustle there, and business of the world, incline 
me to hold back. I only regret that I have not 
been left entirely alone, and to dream away life 
in my own way." 

This appointment, as may well be guessed, 
was brought about through the agency of cer- 
tain friends at home, and on his part was neither 
sought for nor desired. He was now entirely 
absorbed in literary plans and enterprises, and 
in this line of effort he had settled down as to 
his life-work, and deprecated every interference 
with it for any extraneous purpose. After de- 
ciding to accept the appointment, he determined, 
however, that should he find the office irksome 
in any respect, or detrimental to his literary 
plans, he would at once throw it up, being 
happily independent of it, " both as to circum- 
stances and as to ambition." Sentiments en- 
tirely similar he expresses to Mr. Everett, 
alleging that the office was unsought whether 
by himself or his relatives ; that he had no incli- 
nation for office, and was doubtful that he had 



190 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

any turn for it ; that his recluse literary life had 
well-nigh unfitted him for worldly business and 
bustle, and he had no political ambition to be 
gratified. He seems to have accepted the office 
more to please his friends than himself, deter- 
mined, however, that as the place was unsought 
and undesired by him, so, in accepting it, he 
would commit himself to no set of men or 
measures, but, as heretofore, keep himself as 
clear as possible of all party politics, and con- 
tinue to devote all his spare time to general 
literature. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 191 



CHAPTER XXV. 

AFTER nearly three months of delightful 
residence at the Alhambra, Mr. Irving, 
about the last of July, commenced his journey 
toward England. His departure was to him 
like leaving a safe and tranquil port to embark 
upon a stormy and treacherous sea. Time 
with him had passed there as in a kind of ori- 
ental dream. " Never shall I meet on earth 
with an abode so much to my taste, or so 
suited to my habits and pursuits. The sole 
fault was that the softness of the climate, the 
silence and serenity of the place, the odor of 
flowers and the murmur of fountains, had a 
soothing and voluptuous effect that at times 
almost incapacitated me for work, and made 
me feel like the Knight of Industry when so 
pleasingly inthralled in the Castle of Indo- 
lence." 

He was accompanied by a young English- 
man, an educated gentleman, who was on his 
way homeward. They traveled as far as to 



192 Memoir of Washington living. 

Valencia in a sort of horse-cart, in which they 
could sit or recline at pleasure ; and, where the 
roads were pleasant, they walked extensively. 
Their progress toward Valencia averaged about 
thirty miles a day, the route lying through 
Murcia, Orchuela, and Alicante. He describes 
the country embracing these localities as highly 
romantic and delightful, level as a table, and a 
vast garden land, covered for many leagues 
with groves of oranges, citrons, pomegranates, 
palms, and dates, bordered in the distance by 
towering mountains, picturesque in outline, and 
sublime from their very nakedness and sterility. 
A part of their route was infested by robbers, 
but the travelers escaped disturbance or harm, 
and came in eleven or twelve clays to Valencia. 
After a day or two the travelers took the dili- 
gence for Barcelona. Here Mr. Irving was 
detained several days by the sickness of Mr. 
Snead, his fellow-traveler, after which they set 
out for France, Mr. S. being still feeble ; yet 
such was his anxiety to reach home that they 
traveled nine days and nights incessantly until 
they reached Paris. All this was too much for 
the unfortunate young gentleman, and he died 
shortly after reaching home. It seemed a spe- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 193 

cially melancholy death, as he was a young man 
of fortune and brilliant prospects, and was about 
to be married. " The scenes," says Irving, " I 
had with his afflicted parents are too painful to 
be repeated." 

After remaining a fortnight at Paris with his 
brother Peter he proceeded to London, from 
which he had been absent between five and six 
years. He soon became established in his sec- 
retaryship, and the following note to his brother 
Peter at Paris seems to indicate that he had 
begun to be considerably reconciled to his new 
position : " I feel disposed, now that I am in 
diplomatic life, to give it some little trial. The 
labors are not great, especially in my present 
situation. It introduces me to scenes and af- 
fairs of high interest, and in that way, perhaps, 
prepares me for higher intellectual labors. The 
very kind and flattering manner, also, in which 
I am treated in all circles is highly gratifying." 

His lodgings were immediately opposite the 
Legation, the office of which was very comfort- 
able and entirely at his command. His duties 
were comparatively light, while his social posi- 
tion and relations were, of course, all he could 

desire. Meanwhile the avails of his works 
13 



194 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

published in London and New York had al- 
ready secured to him a competence, so that he 
was no longer under any necessity of writing 
for bread. 

Under these pleasant circumstances he peris 
the following sunny note to Peter : " My idea 
is not to dmdge at literary labor, but to use it 
as an agreeable employment. We have now 
sufficient funds to insure us a decent support 
should we choose to retire upon them. We 
may, therefore, indulge in the passing pleasures 
of life, and mingle amusement with our labors." 

Mr. Irving was at this early period contem- 
plating as his great work and crowning labor, a 
life of Washington, an enterprise, however, 
which was destined to be deferred for many 
years. 

Two other literary honors were now awaiting 
him : the first, one of the two medals of the 
Royal Society of Literature adjudged annually 
to the authors of literary works of eminent 
merit or of important literary discoveries ; the 
other honor was that of the degree of LL.D., 
conferred on him by the University of Oxford. 
On this occasion, advancing in the presence of 
the great audience to receive his diploma, he 






Memoir of Washington Irving. 195 

was assailed with prolonged and laughable 
greetings from the students, shouting Diedrich 
Knickerbocker, Ichabod Crane, Rip Van Win- 
kle, Geoffrey Crayon, Columbus, Sketch-Book, 
Bracebridge Hall, etc. He was quite overcome 
by such a volley of salutations, and was labor- 
ing meanwhile with suppressed laughter at the 
unexpected and vociferous applause. 

The modesty of Irving is said to have pre- 
vented him from ever making use of his honor- 
able title, and from so honorable a source. He 
was accustomed to view it as a learned dignity 
urged upon him against his own judgment. 



196 Memoir of Washington Irving. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

HAVING been a year in his secretaryship, 
we find Mr. Irving putting to press his 
" Voyages of the Companions of Columbus."* 
At the same time he was employed upon his 
Alhambra tales, several of which he had already 
finished. He begins, however, to feel sensibly 
the trammels connected with his official posi- 
tion, and complains that he has no time for any 
thing. " I feel my situation," he says, " a ter- 
rible sacrifice of pleasure, profit, and literary 
reputation without furnishing any recompense." 

It is not strange that with such feelings as. 
these Irving should be inclined to seize the first 
opportunity to retire from his office. Accord- 
ingly in September, 1831, he was released, after 
having served two years at the Legation. 

The remainder of the year he seems to have 
devoted to visiting his Birmingham relation?, 

* This work of Irving seems to have been designed as a sort 
of appendage to his Columbus. It comprised an account of 
voyages undertaken by several distinguished navigators s^on 
after the first discovery by Columbus. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 197 

and excursions to various other interesting 
places. Among these last was Newstead Ab- 
bey,* once the possession and seat of Lord 
Byron. Meanwhile he was busy in finishing 
and correcting some manuscripts, complaining, 
however, of restlessness and uncertainty of 
mind and feelings tending to interference with 
imaginative writing. 

The "Alhambra," which had been for some 
time on hand, was put to press in the ensuing 
spring, and, as usual, at New York and London. 
The London publisher paid about $5,000 for 
the manuscript, and at New York he received 
$3,000 for the privilege of printing 5,500 copies. 
Also for his " Voyages " above mentioned he 
received at London $2,600, and at New York 
$1,500 for 3,000 copies. 

Mr. Irving now made diligent preparation for 

* The former seat of Lord Byron, who, by stress of circum- 
stances, was obliged to part with it, to his very great regret. It 
was purchased by a devoted friend of the bard, who expended 
large sums to put the old abbey in complete repair. Irving 
writes in 1831, about the time he visited it, that "It is a most 
ancient, curious, and beautiful pile, of great extent and intric- 
acy, and, when restored, will be one of the finest specimens of 
the mingled conventual and baronial buildings in England. 
Every thing relative to Lord Byron is preserved with the most 
scrupulous care. The bedroom he occupied, with all its fur- 
niture as it stood, many of his books, his boxing gloves, etc." 



198 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

returning to the United States, and, embarking 
at Havre April 11, he arrived at New York 
after a passage of forty days. 

As might be supposed, he met a most cordial 
reception, and rejoiced greatly as, after an ab- 
sence of seventeen years, he touched again the 
soil of his native city. In a letter to his brother 
Peter, whom he left behind him in Europe, he 
writes, " I have been absolutely overwhelmed 
with the welcomes and felicitations of my friends. 
It seems as if all the old standers of the city had 
called on me ; and I am continually in the 
midst of old associates who, thank God ! have 
borne the wear and tear of seventeen years sur- 
prisingly, and are all in good health, good looks, 
and good circumstances. ... I have been in a 
tumult of enjoyment ever since my arrival, am 
pleased with every thing and every body, and as 
happy as mortal being can be." 

A public dinner was accorded to him in New 
York, attended by the elite of the city, which 
was presided over by Chancellor Kent, and was 
a most deeply interesting occasion. Public 
dinners were also proffered him at Philadel- 
phia and Baltimore, both of which, however, he 
declined. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 199 

After his arrival home Mr. Irving devoted 
several weeks to various visits and excursions. 
He takes an early opportunity to visit Washing- 
ton, to pay his respects to the Government he 
had, for a brief period, been serving abroad. 
Mr. M'Lean, with whom he was associated at 
London, was now Secretary of the Treasury, 
with whom and his family, Irving spent some 
delightful days, and was received most cordially 
by all the family, great and small. He also 
called on the President, (Jackson,) with whom 
he seems to have been "much pleased as well 
as amused," and who hinted to his visitor that 
he might want him for another place under the 
Government. But Irving gave him to under- 
stand clearly that he desired no further public 
responsibilities ; and he seems at this time to 
be entirely settled in his mind to an exclusively 
literary life. 

In the course of the summer we track him 
up the Hudson — at West Point, the Highlands, 
Tarrytown, Saratoga, Trenton Falls, and the 
White Mountains. Every-where he is full of 
animation and delight, and tells his brother 
Peter, over the sea, of the pleasant times he is 
having. " In fact, I return to all the simple enjoy- 



200 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

ments of old times with the renovated feelings 
of a school-boy, and have had more hearty, 
home-bred delights of the kind since my return 
to the United States than I have ever had in 
the same space of time in the whole course of 
my life." 

The autumn he devoted to a tour to the Far 
West, in company with commissioners appointed 
by Government to treat with deputations of 
different tribes of Indians. This tour took him 
into the territory lying west of Arkansas, and 
appropriated to the Indian tribes. The journey 
westward from St. Louis was mainly on horse- 
back, and beyond the frontiers they encamped 
out at night, while their subsistence was by the 
wild game of the forest and prairie. He describes 
his tour as very rough, but interesting and pleas- 
ing, the travelers leading, as they went, a hunt- 
er's life, camping by streams and sleeping on 
skins or blankets in the open air, enjoying high 
health and exuberant spirits. His return was 
by way of steamboat down the Arkansas and 
Mississippi to New Orleans, and thence, by stage, 
through the States to Washington, where he 
passed the winter very pleasantly with his friends 
the M' Leans. Here he became intensely inter- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 201 

ested in the great Nullification debates then 
going forward. " I became," he says, " so deeply 
interested in the debates of Congress that I 
almost lived at the Capitol. The grand debate 
in the Senate occupied my mind for three weeks 
as did ever a dramatic representation. I heard 
about every speech, good and bad, and did not 
lose a word of any of the best." He afterward 
adds, " I think my close attendance on the leg- 
islative halls has given me an acquaintance with 
the nature and operation of our institutions, and 
the character and concerns of the various parts 
of the Union, that I could not have learned 
from books for years." 

Leaving Washington for New York, we find 
him detained three weeks at Baltimore, en- 
thralled in the abundant hospitality of the city, 
" going the round of dinners," he says, " until 
as jaded as I was in London. Time and mind 
are cut up with me like chopped hay, and I am 
good for nothing, and shall be good for nothing 
for some time to come, so much am I harassed 
by the claims of society." 

Thus, amid his various travels, excursions, 
and visitings, more than a year seems to have 
passed, after his arrival from abroad, before Mr. 



202 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

Irving could seriously set himself to work with 
his pen. In the meantime he again incurred 
some serious pecuniary reverse, which, however, 
disturbed him but slightly, as he had an abun- 
dance remaining. During the second winter 
after his return from abroad, he was again dili- 
gently at his literary labors and progressing 
therein satisfactorily. He was domiciled in the 
family of his brother Ebenezer, and managed to 
keep himself clear of evening engagements and 
dinner parties, and thus was enabled to improve 
the winter to the utmost. 

We subjoin here a single extract from the 
"Companions of Columbus." It relates to the 
discovery of the Pacific Ocean by Vasco Nunez. 

" ' Why,' said the young cacique, ' should you 
quarrel for such a trifle ? If this gold is indeed 
so precious in your eyes that for it alone you 
abandon your homes, invade the peaceful lands 
of others, and expose yourselves to such suffer- 
ings and perils, I will tell you of a region 
where you may gratify your wishes to the 
utmost. Behold these lofty mountains ; beyond 
these lies a mighty sea which may be discerned 
from their summit. It is navigated by people 
who have vessels almost as large as yours, and 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 203 

furnished like them with sails and oars. All 
the streams which flow down from the southern 
side of these mountains into that sea abound in 
gold, and the Kings who reign upon its borders 
eat and drink out of golden vessels. Gold, in 
fact, is as plentiful and common among these 
people of the South as iron is among Span- 
iards.' . . . 

"The day had scarce dawned when Vasco 
Nunez and his followers set forth from the Indian 
village and began to climb the height. It was 
a severe and rugged toil for one so way-worn ; 
but they were filled with new ardor at the idea 
of the triumphant scene that was so soon to re- 
pay them for all hardships. About ten o'clock 
in the morning they emerged from the thick 
forests through which they had hitherto strug- 
gled, and arrived at a lofty and airy region of 
the mountain. The bold summit alone remained 
to be ascended, and their guides pointed to a 
moderate eminence from which the southern 
sea was visible. 

" Upon this Vasco Nunez commanded his fol- 
lowers to halt, and that no man should stir from 
his place. Then, with a palpitating heart, he 
ascended alone the bare mountain-top. On 



204 Memoir of Washingtoti Irving. 

reaching the summit the long-desired prospect 
burst upon his view. It was as if a new world 
were unfolded to him, separated from all hitherto 
known by this mighty barrier of mountains. 
Below him extended a vast chaos of rock and 
forest, and green savannas and wandering 
streams ; while at a distance the waters of the 
promised ocean glittered in the morning sun. 

" At this glorious prospect Vasco Nunez sank 
upon his knees, and poured out thanks to God 
for being the first European to whom it was 
given to make that great discovery. He then 
called his people to ascend. ' Behold, my friends/ 
said he, ' that glorious sight which we have so 
much desired. Let us give thanks to God that 
he has granted us this great honor and ad van- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 205 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

r I ^HE "Alhambra" met a most cordial re- 

*- ception from every quarter, and received 

much praise at home and abroad. Edward 

, Everett, in the " North American Review," 

; considered the work as being equal in literary 

value to any of the author's other works, except 

; the " Sketch Book ;" while Mr. Prescott, in his 

; " Ferdinand and Isabella," pronounces it the 

' "beautiful Spanish Sketch Book." 

The author's sketch of his journey from Se- 
. ville to Granada is highly instructive as well as 
interesting, presenting to us, as it does, so pic- 
turesque a view of Spanish scenery, mode of 
traveling, etc. " Many," he writes, " are apt to 
picture Spain to their imaginations as a soft 
southern region, decked out with all the lux- 
urious charms of voluptuous Italy. On the 
contrary, though there are exceptions in some 
of the maritime provinces, yet for the greater 
part it is a stern, melancholy country, with rug- 
ged mountains and long, naked, sweeping plains 



Me 

destitute of trees, and invariably silent and lone- 
some, partaking of the savage and solitary char-! 

of Africa, What adds to this silenee and 
loneliness is the absence oi singing' birds, a 
natural consequence of the want of groves and 
hedges. The vulture and the eagle are seen 
I Ling about the mountain cliffs, and soaring- 
over the plains, and groups ot shy bustards 
stalk about the heaths ; but the myriads of 
smaller birds which animate the whole face of 
other countries are met with in but few prov- 
inces ot Spain, and in them chiefly among the 
orchards and gardens which surround the hab- 
itations of man. 

" In the exterior provinces the traveler occa- 
sionally traverses great tracts cultivated with 
grain as far as the eye can reach, waving at 
times with verdure, at other times naked and 
sunburnt ; but he looks round in vain for the 
hand that has tilled the soil. At length he 
perceives some village perched on a steep hill 
or rugged crag, with moldering battlements 
and ruined watch-tower, a stronghold in old 
times against civil war or Moorish inroad ; for 
the custom among the peasantry of congregat- 
ing together for mutual protection is still kept 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 207 

up in most parts of Spain in consequence of 
the maraudings of roving freebooters. 

" Hut a great part of Spain is deficient in the 
garniture of groves and forests, and the softer 
charms of ornamental cultivation, yet its scen- 
ery has something of a high and lofty character 
to compensate the want. It partakes some- 
thing of the attributes of its people, and I think 
that I better understand the proud, hardy, fru- 
gal, and abstemious Spaniard, his manly defi- 
ance of hardships and contempt of effeminate 
indulgence, since I have seen the country he 
inhabits. 

" There is something, too, in the stern and 
simple features of the Spanish landscape that 
impresses on the soul a feeling of sublimity. 
The immense plains of the Castiles and La 
Mancha, extending as far as the eye can reach, 
derive an interest from their very nakedness 
and immensity, and have something of the sol- 
emn grandeur of the ocean. In ranging over 
these boundless wastes the eye catches sight 
here and there of a straggling herd of cattle 
attended by a lonely herdsman, motionless as a 
statue, with his long, slender pike tapering up 
like a lance into the air ; or beholds a long 



208 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

train of mules slowly moving along the waste 
like a train of camels in a desert ; or a single 
herdsman, armed with blunderbuss and stiletto, 
prowling over the plain. Thus the country, 
the habits, the very looks of the people, have 
something of the Arabian character. The gen- 
eral insecurity of the country is evinced in the 
universal use of weapons. The herdsman in 
the field, the shepherd in the plain, has his 
musket and his knife. The wealthy villager 
rarely ventures to the market-town without his 
trabucho, and, perhaps, a servant on foot with a 
blunderbuss on his shoulder ; and the most petty 
journey is undertaken with the preparations of 
a warlike enterprise. 

" The dangers of the road produce also a mode 
of traveling resembling, on a diminutive scale, 
the caravans of the East. The arrieros, or car- 
riers, congregate in troops, and set off in large 
and well-armed trains on appointed days, while 
individual travelers swell their number and 
contribute to their strength. In this primitive 
way is the commerce of the country carried on. 
The muleteer is the general medium of traffic 
and the legitimate wanderer of the land, trav- 
ersing the Peninsula from the Pyrenees and the 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 209 

Asturias to the Alpuxarras, the Serrania de 
Ronda, and even to the gates of Gibraltar. He 
lives frugally and hardily. His alforjas (or sad- 
dle-bags) of coarse cloth hold his scanty stock 
of provisions, a leathern bottle hanging at his 
saddle-bow contains wine or water for a supply 
across barren mountains and thirsty plains, a 
mule-cloth spread upon the ground is his bed 
at night, and his pack-saddle is his pillow. His 
low but clear-limbed and sinewy form beto- 
kens strength ; his complexion is dark and sun- 
burnt, his eye resolute, but quiet in its ex- 
pression, except when kindled by sudden emo- 
tion ; his demeanor is frank, manly, and cour- 
teous, and he never passes you without a grave 
salutation : ' God guard you ! God be with you, 
cavalier ! ' 

" As these men have often their whole for- 
tune at stake upon the burden of their mules, 
they have their weapons at hand, slung to their 
saddles, and ready to be snatched down for 
desperate defense. But their united numbers 
render them secure against petty bands of ma- 
rauders, and the solitary bandalero, (robber,) 
armed to the teeth, and mounted on his Anda- 

lusian steed, hovers about them like a pirate 
14 



2io Memoir of Washington Irving. 

about a merchant convoy, without daring to 
make an assault. . . . 

" It has a most picturesque effect, also, to 
meet a train oi muleteers in some mountain 
pass. First you hear the bells o\ the leading- 
mules breaking with their simple melody the 
stillness of the airy height, or perhaps the voice 
of the muleteer admonishing some tardy or 
wandering animal, or chanting at the full 
stretch ot his lungs some traditionary ballad. 
At length you see the mules slowly winding 
along the craggy defile, sometimes descending 
precipitous cliffs, so as to present themselves in 
full relief against the sky, sometimes toiling up 
the deep arid chasms below you. As they ap- 
proach you descry their gay decorations of 
worsted tufts, tassels, and saddle-cloths ; while, 
as they pass by, the ever-ready trabucho, slang 
behind their packs and saddles, gives a hint of 
the insecurity of the road. 

" The ancient kingdom of Granada, into 
which we are about to penetrate, is one of the 
most mountainous regions of Spain. Vast 
sierras, or chains of mountains, destitute of 
shrub or tree and mottled with variegated 
marbles and granites, elevate their sun-burnt 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 2 1 r 

summits against a deep blue sky, yet in their 
rugged bosoms lie engulfed the most verdant 
and fertile valleys, where the desert and the 
garden strive for mastery, and the very roek, as 
it were, is eompelled to yield the fig, the orange, 
and the citron, and to blossom with the myrtle 
and the rose. In the wild passes of these 
mountains the sight of walled towns and vil- 
lages, built like eagles' nests among the cliffs, 
and surrounded by Moorish battlements, or of 
ruined watch-towers perched on lofty peaks, 
carry the mind back to the chivalrous days of 
Christian and Moslem warfare, and to the ro- 
mantic struggle for the conquest of Granada. 
In traversing these lofty sierras the traveler is 
often obliged to alight and lead his horse up 
and down the steep and jagged ascents and 
descents, resembling the broken steps of a 
staircase. Sometimes the road winds along 
dizzy precipices, without parapet to guard him 
from the gulfs below, and then will plunge 
down steep and dark and dangerous declivities. 
Sometimes it struggles through rugged baran- 
cos, -or ravines, worn by water-torrents, the 
obscure paths of the contrabandista, (smug- 
glers ;) while ever and anon the ominous cross, 



212 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

the memento of robbery and murder, erected 
on a mound of stones at some lonely part of the 
road, admonishes the traveler that he is among 
the haunts of banditti, perhaps at that very 
moment under the eye of some lurking banda- 
lero. Sometimes in winding through the nar- 
row valleys he is startled by a hoarse bellowing, 
and beholds above him on some green fold of 
the mountain side a herd of fierce Andalusian 
bulls destined for the combat of the arena. 
There is something awful in the contemplation 
of these terrific animals, clothed with tremen- 
dous strength, and ranging their native pastures 
in untamed wildness, strangers almost to the 
face of man. They know no one but the soli- 
tary herdsman who attends upon them, and 
even he at times dares not venture to approach 
them. The low bellowings of these bulls, and 
their menacing aspect as they look down from 
their rocky height, give additional wildness to 
the savage scenery around." 

On reaching Granada and entering the palace 
of the Alhambra, and walking meditatively amid 
its ancient halls, he feels himself to be treading 
upon haunted ground, while romantic associa- 
tions cluster thickly around him. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 2 1 3 

" From earliest boyhood, when, on the banks 
of the Hudson, I first pored over the pages of 
an old Spanish story about the wars of Granada, 
that city has ever been a subject of my waking 
dreams, and often have I trod in fancy the ro- 
mantic halls of the Alhambra. Behold, for once, 
a day-dream realized ! yet I can scarcely credit 
my senses, or believe that I do indeed inhabit 
the palace of Boabdil, and look down from its 
balconies upon chivalric Granada. As I loiter 
through the oriental chambers, and hear the 
murmuring of fountains and the song of the 
nightingales, as I inhale the odor of the rose 
and feel the influence of the balmy climate, I 
am almost tempted to fancy myself in the para- 
dise of Mahomet, and that the plump little 
Dolores * is one of the bright-eyed houris, des- 
tined to administer to the happiness of true 
believers." 

The author's selection of his chamber at the 
palace is curious as well as characteristic : 

" On taking up my abode in the Alhambra, 
one end of a suite of empty chambers of modern 
architecture, intended for the residence of the 
governor, was fitted up for my reception. It 

° A little maid-servant of the palace. 



214 Mi in oir of 1 J \ is// ingtc m Ii -: • nig. 

was in front of the palace, looking forth upon 
the esplanade. The farther end communicated 
with a cluster of little chambers, partly Moorish, 
partlv modern, inhabited by Fia Antonia* and 
her family. ... I was dissatisfied with being 
lodged in a modern and frontier apartment of 
the palace, and longed to ensconce myself in 
the very heart of the building. 

" As I was rambling one day about the Moor- 
ish halls, I found, in a remote gallery, a door 
which I had not before noticed, communicating 
apparently with an extensive apartment locked 
up from the public. Here, then, was a mystery. 
Here was the haunted wing of the castle. I 
procured the key, however, without difficulty. 
The door opened to a range o\ vacant chambers 
of European architecture, though built over a 
Moorish arcade along the little garden of Lind- 
araxa. There were two lofty rooms, the ceilings 
of which were of deep panel work o( cedar, richly 
and skillfull v carved with fruits and flowers in- 
termingled with grotesque masks or faces, but 
broken in many places. The walls had evidently 
in ancient times been hung with damask, but 
were now r naked, and scrawled over with the 

* The mistress or housekeeper at the palaee. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 2 1 5 

insignificant names of aspiring travelers. The 
windows, which were dismantled and open to 
wind and weather, looked into the garden of 
Lindaraxa, and the orange and citron trees flung 
their branches into the chambers. . . . There 
was something in the very decay that enhanced 
the interest of the scene, speaking, as it did, of 
that mutability which is the irrevocable lot of 
man and all his works. ... I determined at 
once to take up my abode in this apartment. 

" My determination excited great surprise in 
the family,* who could not imagine any rational 
inducement for the choice of so solitary, remote, 
and forlorn an apartment. The good Fia An- 
tonia considered it highly dangerous. The 
neighborhood, she said, was infested by vagrants ; 
the caverns of the adjacent hills swarmed with 
gipsies ; the palace was ruinous, and easy to be 
entered in many parts ; and the rumor of a 
stranger quartered alone in one of the ruined 
apartments, out of the hearing of the rest of the 
inhabitants, might tempt unwelcome visitors in 
the night, especially as foreigners are always 
supposed to be well stocked with money. Do- 
lores represented the frightful loneliness of the 

* The housekeeper's family. 



216 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

place, nothing but bats and owls flitting about ; 
then there were a fox and a wild cat that kept 
about the vaults, and roamed about at night. 

" I was not to be diverted from my humor ; 
so, calling in the assistance of a carpenter, the 
doors and windows were soon placed in a state 
of tolerable security. 

" With all these precautions, I must confess 
the first night I passed in these quarters was 
inexpressibly dreary. I was escorted by the 
whole family to my chamber, and their taking 
leave of me and retiring along the waste ante- 
chamber and echoing galleries reminded me of 
those hobgoblin stories where the hero is left to 
accomplish the adventure of a haunted house.'' 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 217 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

A T the beginning of the year 1835 Mr. Irv- 
"*■*• ing commenced the plan of publishing a 
series of volumes under the general title of 
" Miscellanies," comprising various manuscripts 
which he already had on hand, and others yet 
to be prepared. The first of these was his 
" Tour on the Prairies ; " an account of the expe- 
dition, already noticed, to the Indian country. 
This work was published in the following spring 
in this country and England. Edward Everett, 
noticing this book in the North American Re- 
view, remarks that he was hardly able to say to 
what class of compositions it properly belonged. 
" It can scarcely," he says, " be called a book of 
travels, for there is too much painting of man- 
ners and scenery, and too little statistics ; it is 
not a novel, for there is no story ; and it is not 
a romance, for it is all true. It is a sort of 
sentimental journey, a romantic excursion, in 
which nearly all the elements of several different 
kinds of writing are beautifully and gayly blended 



2 1 8 Memoir of Washington Irving* 

into a production almost sui generis." The re- 
viewer adds in his conclusion : " The American 
father who can afford it, and does not buy 
copy of Mr. Irving' s book, does not deserve that 
his sons should prefer his fireside to the bar- 
room, the pure and chaste pleasures of a culti- 
vated taste, to the gross indulgences of sense ; 
he does not deserve that his daughters should 
prefer to pass their leisure hours in maidenly 
seclusion and the improvement of their minds, 
rather than to flaunt on the side-walks by day, 
and pursue by night an eternal round of taste- 
less dissipation." 

Writing of the prairie Indians and their 
horses, Mr. Irving says : " The habits of the 
Arabs seem to have come with the steed. The 
introduction of the horse on the boundless prai- 
ries of the Far West changed the whole mode of 
living of their (Indian) inhabitants. It gave 
them that facility of rapid motion, and of sudden 
and distant change of place, so dear to the rov- 
ing propensities of man. Instead of lurking in 
the depths of gloomy forests, and patiently 
threading the mazes of a tangled wilderness on 
foot, like his brethren of the North, the Indian 
of the West is a rover of the plain ; he leads a 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 219 

brighter and more sunshiny life, almost always 
on horseback on vast flowery prairies and under 
cloudless skies." 

As they journey, one of their attendants, a 
half-breed Indian, Beatte by name, pursues, 
catches, and subdues one of the wild horses of 
the prairie. 

" As he was returning to the camp he came 
upon a gang of six horses, which immediately 
made for the river. He pursued them across 
the stream, left his rifle on the river bank, and, 
putting his horse to full speed, soon came up 
with the fugitives. He attempted to noose one 
of them, but the lariat hitched on one of his ears 
and he shook it off. The horses dashed up a 
hill, he followed hard at their heels, when, of a 
sudden, he saw their tails whisking in the air, 
and they plunging down a precipice. It was 
too late to stop. He shut his eyes, held in his 
breath, and went over with them — neck or 
nothing. The descent was between twenty 
and thirty feet, but they all came down safe 
upon a sandy bottom. 

" He now succeeded in throwing his noose 
round a fine young horse. As he galloped 
along side of him the two horses passed each 



Mi gUm Irving, 

side of a sapling, and the end of the lariat 
was jerked out of his hand. He regained it, 
bur an intervening tree obliged him again to 
let it go. Having once more caught it. and 
coming to a more open country, he was enabled 
to play the young horse with the line until he 
gradually checked and subdued him. so as to 
lead him to the place where lie had left his 
rifle, 

" He had another formidable difficulty in get- 
ting him across the river, where both horses stuek 
for a time in the mire, and Beatte was nearly 
unseated from his saddle by the force of the 
current and the struggles o\ his captive. After 
much toil and trouble, however, he got aeross 
the stream, and brought his prize safe into the 
earn p. . . . 

'• Beatte, just as we were about to march, 
strapped a light pack upon his back, by way of 
giving him the first lesson in servitude. The 
native pride and independence of the animal 
took fire at this indignity. He reared, and 
plunged, and kicked, and tried in every way to 
get rid of the degrading burden. The Indian 
was too potent for him. At every paroxysm he 
renewed the discipline oi the halter, until the 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 221 

poor animal, driven to 

rate on the ground and lay motionle 
if acknov. himself vanquished, 

hero, representing air of a captive 

prince, could not have played his part more 
dramatically. There was absolutely a moral 
grandeur in it. 

" The imperturbable Beatte folded his arms, 
; for a time look . Hence 

upon his captive, until, seeing him perfectly 
subdued, he nodded his head slowly 
his mouth into a sardonic smile of triumph, and 
with a jerk of the halter ordered him to 
He obeyed, and from that time forwar 

^nce. During that day he bore his 
pack patiently, and was led by the halter ; but 
in t he followed voluntarily at large 

among the supernumerary horses of the tr 

" I could not but look with compassion upon 
this fine young animal, whose whole course of 
existence had been so suddenly reversed. I 
being a denizen of these vast pastures, ranging 
at will from plain to plain and mead to mead, 

:ng of ever}- herb and flower, and di 
ing of every stream, he was su 
perpetual and painful servitude 



222 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

under the harness and the curb, amid, perhaps, 
the din and dust and drudgery of cities. The 
transition in his lot was such as sometimes 
take place in human affairs and in the fortunes 
of towering individuals ; one day a prince of 
the prairies, the next day a pack-horse ! " 

Mr. Irving and one of his companions had 
made an unsuccessful attempt at buffalo-hunt- 
ing but were not entirely discouraged. 

" We determined not to seek the camp until 
we had made one more effort. , Casting our 
eyes about the surrounding waste, we descried 
a herd of buffalo about two miles distant, scat- 
tered apart, and quietly grazing near a small 
strip of trees and bushes. It required but little 
stretch of fancy to picture them, so many cattle 
grazing on the edge of a common, and that the 
grove might shelter some lowly farm-house. 

" We now formed our plan to circumvent the 
herd, and by getting on the other side of them, 
to hunt them in the direction where we knew 
our camp to be situated, otherwise the pursuit 
might take us to such a distance as to render it 
impossible for us to find our way back before 
night-fall. Taking a wide circuit, therefore, we 
moved slowly and cautiously, pausing occasion- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 223 

ally when we saw any of the herd desist from 
grazing. The wind fortunately set from them, 
otherwise they might have scented us and have 
taken the alarm. In this way we succeeded in 
getting round the herd without disturbing it. 
It consisted of about forty head, bulls, cows, and 
calves. Separating to some distance from each 
other, we now approached slowly in a parallel 
line, hoping by degrees to steal near without 
exciting attention. They began, however, to 
move off quietly, stopping at every step to graze ; 
when suddenly a bull that, unobserved by us, 
had been taking his siesta under a clump of 
trees to our left, roused himself from his lair 
and hastened to join his companions. We were 
still at a considerable distance, but the game 
had taken the alarm. We quickened our pace, 
they broke into a gallop, and now commenced 
a full chase. 

" As the ground was level they shouldered along 
with great speed, following each otSer in a line, 
two or three bulls bringing up the rear, the last 
of whom, from his enormous size and venerable 
frontlet, and beard of sun-burnt hair, looked like 
the patriarch of the herd, and as if he might 
long have reigned the monarch of the prairie. 



224 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

" There is a mixture of the awful and the 
comic in the look of these huge animals as they 
bear their great bulk forward, with an up and 
down motion of unwieldy head and shoulders ; 
their tail cocked up like the queue of Pantaloon 
in a pantomime, the end whisking about in a 
fierce yet whimsical style, and their eyes glaring 
venomously with an expression of fright and fury. 

M For some time I kept parallel with the line, 
without being able to force my horse within 
pistol shot, so much had he been alarmed by 
the assault of the buffalo in the preceding chase. 
At length I succeeded, but was again balked by 
my pistols missing fire. My companions, whose 
horses were less fleet and more way-worn, could 
not overtake the herd ; at length Mr. L., who was 
in the rear of the line and losing ground, leveled 
his double-barreled gun, and fired a long raking 
shot. It struck a buffalo just above the loins, 
broke its backbone, and brought it to the ground. 
He stopped", and alighted to dispatch his prey, 
when, borrowing his gun, which had yet a charge 
remaining in it, I put my horse to his speed, 
again overtook the herd which was thundering 
along, pursued by the Count. With my present 
weapon there was no need of urging my horse 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 225 

to such close quarters ; galloping along parallel, 
therefore, I singled out a buffalo, and by a for- 
tunate shot brought it down on the spot. The 
ball had struck a vital part ; it would not move 
from the place where it fell, but lay there strug- 
gling in mortal agony, while the rest of the 
herd kept on their headlong career across the 
prairie. 

" Dismounting, I now fettered my horse to 
prevent his straying, and advanced to contem- 
plate my victim. I am nothing of a sportsman ; 
I had been tempted to this unwonted exploit by 
the magnitude of the game, and the excitement of 
an adventurous chase. Now that the excitement 
was over I could not but look with commisera- 
tion upon the poor animal that lay struggling 
and bleeding at my feet. His very size and 
importance, which had before inspired me with 
eagerness, now increased my compunction. It 
seemed as if I had inflicted pain in proportion 
to the bulk of my victim, and as if there were a 
hundredfold greater waste of life than would 
have been in the destruction of an animal of 
an inferior size." 

Mr. Irving presents us a sketch of the 
" Prairie dogs," and one of their villages : 
15 



226 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

" The prairie dog is an animal of the coney 
kind, and about the size of the rabbit. He is 
of a sprightly, mercurial nature ; quick, sensi- 
tive, and somewhat petulant. He is very gre- 
garious, living in large communities, some- 
times of several acres in extent, where innumer- 
able little heaps of earth show the entrance to 
the subterranean cells of the inhabitants ; and 
the well-beaten tracks, like lanes and streets, 
show their mobility and restlessness. Accord- 
ing to the accounts given of them they would 
seem to be continually full of sport, business, 
and public affairs, whisking about hither and 
thither, as if on gossiping visits to each other's 
houses, or congregating in the cool of the even- 
ing, or after a shower, and gamboling together 
in the open air. Sometimes, especially when 
the moon shines, they pass half the night in 
revelry, barking, or yelping with short, quick, 
yet weak tones, like those of very young pup- 
pies. While in the height of their playfulness 
and clamor, however, should there be the least 
alarm they all vanish into their cells in an 
instant, and the village remains blank and 
silent. In case they are hard pressed by their 
pursuers, without any hope of escape, they will 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 227 

assume a pugnacious air, and a most whimsical 
look of impotent wrath and defiance. 

" The prairie dogs are not .permitted to remain 
sole and indisputable inhabitants of their own 
homes. Owls and rattlesnakes are said to take 
up their abodes with them, but whether as in- 
vited guests or unwelcome intruders is a matter 
of controversy. The owls are of a peculiar 
kind, and would seem to partake of the charac- 
ter of the hawk, for they are taller and more 
erect on their legs, more alert in their looks 
and rapid in their flight than ordinary owls, and 
do not confine their excursions to the night, but 
sally forth in broad day. 

" Some say that they only inhabit cells which 
the prairie dogs have deserted, and suffered to 
go to ruin, in consequence of the death in them 
of some relative ; for they would make out this 
little animal to be endowed with keen sensibili- 
ties, that will not permit it to remain in the 
dwelling when it has witnessed the death of a 
friend. Other fanciful speculators represent the 
owl as a kind of housekeeper to the prairie dog ; 
and, from having a note very similar, insinuate 
that it acts in a manner as family preceptor, and 
teaches the young litter to bark. 



228 Memoir of Wm 

" As to the rattlesnake, nothing satisfactory 

has been ascertained of the part he plays in this 
most interesting household ; though he is con- 
sidered as little better than a sycophant and 

sharper, that winds himself into the concerns 
of the honest, credulous little dog, and takes 
him in most sadly. Certain it is. if he aets as 
toad-eater, he occasionally solaees himself with 
more than the usual perquisites of his order, as 
he is now and then detected with one o\ the 
younger members of the family in his maw." 

The second volume o\ the Miscellanies, 
comprising- " Abbotsford " and " Newstead Ab- 
bey." immediately followed the first volume. 
These are briefer compositions, and are delightful 
sketches, drawn from the author's personal 
recollections of those two literary shrines. 

These two volumes of miscellanies were 
received with great favor on both sides oi the 
Atlantic, and the author was much encouraged 
to proceed with the series. The third volume 
appeared in the following autumn with the title 
of " Legends oi the Conquest of Spain." 






Memoir of Washington In 229 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

IN October ifr. Irving put to press his 

volume, ''Astoria," a work which he had 
been induced to undertake at the solicitation of 
the millionaire, John Jacob Astor.* This 
relate element >lony 

which he had established at the mouth of the 
Columbia River ; and the plan of the great 
capitalist wa .are to himself by this 

; .-rmany, born in 1 763, and 
when twenv -.-migrated * .^aged 

in the fur trade, 

dh an extent 
that be 

bringing back foreign produce :' rk market. 

;aged extensively in the fur tra 

. which ad 
greatly on his hands. At his death he was worth 

In his life-time, and at his death, Mr. Astor made many 
libera! bat his principal 

beneficence was the establishment of t: vhich bears 

his na be largest in the 

have been 
:.is death by the libera. 
- q. The library buildings are sufficiently ar. 
contain two hundred thousand volumes, and will soon be fulL 



230 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

volume the reputation of having originated the 
enterprise, and founded the colony which was 
"likely to have such important results in the 
history of commerce and colonization." Irving, 
from the press of other literary engagements, 
was reluctant to undertake the work ; but 
having enlisted the co-operation of his nephew, 
Mr. Pierre M. Irving, who was to arrange the 
principal materials, to be afterward finished and 
embellished by his uncle, the work was duly 
prosecuted and executed to the entire satisfaction 
of Mr. Astor, as well as to the gratification and 
warm approval of the public. 

Of "Astoria" the "North American Review" 
remarks, that " the whole work bears the im- 
press of Mr. Irving' s taste. A great variety of 
somewhat discordant materials is brought into 
a consistent whole, of which the parts have a 
due reference to each other ; and some sketches 
of life and traits of humor come fresh from the 
pen of Geoffrey Crayon." 

"I have," says Sidney Smith, "read 'Astoria' 
with great pleasure. It is a book to put in your 
library as an entertaining, well-written — very 
well-written-account of savage life on a most 
extensive scale." 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 231 

"The most finished narrative," says the 
" London Spectator," " that ever was written, 
whether with regard to plan or execution. The 
arrangement has all the art of fiction, yet with- 
out any sacrifice of truth or exactness. The 
composition we are inclined to rate as the chef 
d'ceuvre of Washington Irving." 

The climate of the country west of the Rocky 
Mountains is described as follows : 

" A remarkable fact characteristic of the 
country west of the Rocky Mountains is the 
mildness and equability of the climate. That 
great mountain barrier seems to divide the con- 
tinent into different climates, even in the same 
degrees of latitude. The rigorous winters and 
sultry summers, and all the capricious irregu- 
larities of temperature prevalent on the Atlantic 
side of the mountains, are but little felt on their 
western declivities. The countries between 
them and the Pacific are blessed with milder 
and steadier temperature, resembling the cli- 
mates of parallel latitudes in Europe. In the 
plains and valleys but little snow falls through- 
out the winter, and usually melts while falling. 
It rarely lies on the ground more than two days 
at a time, except on the summits of the mount- 



23- Memoir of Washington Irving. 

ains. The winters are rainy rather than cold. 
The rains for five months — from the middle of 
October to the middle ot March — are almost 
incessant, and often accompanied by tremendous 
thunder and lightning. The winds prevalent 
at this season are from the south and south-east, 
which usually bring rain. Those irom the north 
to the south-west are the harbingers of fair 
weather and a clear sky. The residue of the 
year — from the middle of March to the middle 
of October — an interval of seven months, is 
serene and delightful. There is scarcely any 
rain throughout this time, yet the face of the 
country is kept fresh and verdant by nightly 
dews, and occasionally by humid fogs in the 
mornings. These are not considered prejudi- 
cial to health, since both the natives and the 
whites sleep in the open air with perfect im- 
punity. 

" While this equable and bland temperature 
prevails throughout the lower country, the peaks 
and ridges of the vast mountains by which it is 
dominated are covered with perpetual snow. 
This renders them discernible at a great dis- 
tance, shining at times like bright summer clouds, 
at other times assuming the most aerial tints, 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 233 

and always forming brilliant and striking features 
in the vast landscape. The mild temperature 
prevalent throughout the country is attributed 
by some to the succession of winds from the 
Pacific Ocean, extending from latitude twenty 
degrees to at least fifty degrees, north. These 
temper the heat of summer, so that in the shade 
no one is incommoded by perspiration ; they 
also soften the rigors of winter, and produce 
such a moderation in the climate that the in- 
habitants can wear the same dress throughout 
the year." 

A party traversing the wilderness found 
themselves reduced to such desperate circum- 
stances as are here depicted : 

" In this way they proceeded for seventeen 
miles over a level plain of sand until, seeing a 
few antelopes in the distance, they encamped on 
the margin of a small stream. All now that 
were capable of exertion turned out to hunt for 
a meal. Their efforts were fruitless, and after 
dark they returned to their camp famished al- 
most to desperation. As they were preparing 
for the third time to lie down to sleep without 
a mouthful to eat, Le Clerc, one of the Cana- 
dians, gaunt and wild with hunger, approached 



234 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

Mr. Stuart with his gun in his hand. ' It was 
all in vain,' he said, ' to attempt to proceed any 
further without food. They had a barren plain 
before them, three or four days' journey in ex- 
tent, on which nothing was to be procured. 
They must all perish before they could get to 
the end of it. It was better, therefore, that one 
should die to save the rest.' He proposed, 
therefore, that they should cast lots, adding, as 
an inducement for Mr. Stuart to assent to the 
proposition, that he, as leader of the party, 
should be exempted. 

" Mr. Stuart shuddered at the horrible propo- 
sition, and endeavored to reason with the man, 
but his words were unavailing. At length, 
snatching up his rifle, he threatened to shoot 
him on the spot if he persisted. The famished 
wretch dropped on his knees, begged pardon in 
the most abject terms, and promised never 
again to offend him with such a suggestion. 

" Quiet being restored to the forlorn encamp- 
ment, each one sought repose. Mr. Stuart, 
however, was so exhausted by the agitation of 
the past scene acting upon his emaciated frame 
that he could scarce crawl to his miserable 
couch, where, notwithstanding his fatigues, he 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 235 

passed a sleepless night, revolving upon their 
dreary situation, and the desperate prospect 
before them. 

" Before daylight the next morning they were 
up and on their way. They had nothing to 
detain them, no breakfast to prepare, and to 
linger was to perish. They proceeded, how- 
ever, but slowly, for all were faint and weak. 
Here and there they passed the skulls and bones 
of buffaloes, which showed that these animals must 
have been hunted here during the past season. 
The sight of these bones served only to mock 
their misery. After traveling about nine miles 
along the plain they ascended a range of hills, 
and had scarcely gone two miles further when, 
to their great joy, they discovered an ' old run- 
down buffalo bull/ the laggard, probably, of 
some herd that had been hunted and harassed 
through the mountains. They now all stretched 
themselves out to encompass and make sure of 
this solitary animal, for their lives depended 
upon their success. After considerable trouble 
and infinite anxiety they at length succeeded 
in killing him. He was instantly flayed and 
cut up, and so ravenous was their hunger that 
they devoured some of the flesh raw. The resi- 



flue they carried to a brook near by, where thev 
encamped, lit a tire, and began to cook 

•• Mr. Stuart was tearful that in their tarn- 
ished state they would eat to excess and injure 
themselves. He caused a soup to be made ol 
some of the meat, and that each should take a 
quantity of it as a prelude to his supper. This 
may have had a beneficial effect, tor though 
they sat up the greater part of the night cook* 
riming, no one suffered any incon- 
venience. 

" The next morning the feasting was re- 
sumed, and about midday, feeling somewhat 
recruited and refreshed, they set out on their 
journey with renovated spirits, shaping their 
course . a mountain, the summit of which 

they saw towering in the east, and near to which 
they expected to find the head-waters of the 

5souri w 

The next work brought out by Mr. Irving 

- his " Adventures of Captain Bonneville, 
U S, A., in the Rocky Mountains ot the Far 
West," This work was g< sted from the jour- 
nal of Captain Bonneville, which Irving pur- 
sed of him. and which, with illustrations 
from various other sources, he shaped into this 



Mi tturir of 1 1 ashtngUm . 

g book. "If 
eel lor full of 

romar 

We ha of the tra the 

Far West as he flc 

e in tents or to 
in the air, he despises I 

is impatient of the con fin err 

Jf his nv rj he 

his rifle, r. 

independent of the at all 

"There the 

- 
tinuo an, peril itement, anc 

are more enamored of tl than 

the free trappers of the 
danger, no privation can turn the trap] 

nit His ps t at 

time bles a mania. In vain ma; 

t vigilant ano 
in vain may rocks and d wintry 



238 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

torrents oppose his progress, let but a single 
track of a beaver meet his eye and he forgets 
all danger and defies all difficulties. At times 
he may be seen, with his traps on his shoulder, 
buffeting his way across rapid streams, amid 
floating blocks of ice ; at other times he is to 
be found with his traps swung on his back, 
clambering the most rugged mountains, scaling 
or descending the most frightful precipices, 
searching, by routes inaccessible to the horse, 
and never before trodden by white man, for 
springs and lakes unknown to his comrades, 
and where he may meet with his favorite game. 
Such is the mountaineer, the hardy trapper of 
the West ; and such, as we have slightly sketched 
it, is the wild Robin Hood kind of life, with all 
its strange and motley populace, now existing 
in full vigor among the Rocky Mountains. . . . 

" The American trapper stands by himself, 
and is peerless for the service of the wilder- 
ness. Drop him in the midst of a prairie or in 
the heart of the mountains and he is never at 
a loss. He notices every landmark, can retrace 
his route through the most monotonous plains 
or the most perplexed labyrinths of the mount- 
ains ; no danger nor difficulty can appal him, 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 239 

and he scorns to complain under any priva- 
tion. ... In fact, no one can cope with him as 
a stark tramper of the wilderness." 

The trapper's Indian wife is also pictured 
for us : 

" The free trapper, while a bachelor, has no 
greater pet than his horse ; but the moment he 
takes a wife, he discovers that he has a still 
more fanciful and capricious animal on which to 
lavish his expenses. No sooner does an Indian 
belle experience this promotion than all her 
notions at once rise and expand to the dignity 
of her situation ; and the purse of her lover, and 
his credit into the bargain, are tasked to the 
utmost to fit her out in becoming style. The 
wife of a free trapper to be equipped and arrayed 
like any ordinary and undistinguished squaw ! 
Perish the groveling thought ! In the first place, 
she must have a horse for her own riding ; but 
no jaded, sorry, earth-spirited hack, such as is 
sometimes assigned by an Indian husband for 
the transportation of his squaw and her papooses. 
The wife of a free trapper must have the most 
beautiful animal she can lay her eyes on. And 
then as to his decoration : head-stall, breast- 
bands, saddle, crupper, are lavishly embroidered 



240 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

with beads, and hung with thimbles, hawks' 
bells, and bunches of ribbons. From each side 
of the saddle hangs an esquimoot, a sort of 
pocket, in which she bestows the residue of her 
trinkets and knickknacks which cannot be 
crowded on the decoration of her horse or her- 
self. Over this she folds, with great care, a 
drapery of scarlet and bright-colored calicoes, 
and now considers the caparison of her steed 
complete. 

" As to her own person she is even still more 
extravagant. Her hair, esteemed beautiful in 
proportion to its length, is carefully plaited, and 
made to fall with seeming negligence over either 
breast. Her riding-hat is stuck full of party- 
colored feathers ; her robe, fashioned somewhat 
after that of the whites, is of red, green, and 
sometimes of gray cloth, but always of the finest 
texture that can be procured. Her leggins and 
moccasins are of the most beautiful and expen- 
sive workmanship, and fitted neatly to the foot and 
ankle, which, with the Indian women, are general- 
ly well-formed and delicate. Then as to jewelry, 
in the way of finger-rings, ear-rings, necklaces, 
and other female glories, nothing within reach 
of the trapper's means is omitted that can tend 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 241 

to impress the beholder with an idea of the 
lady's high estate. To finish the whole, she 
selects from among her blankets one of glowing 
colors, and, throwing it over her shoulders with 
native grace, vaults into the saddle of her gay, 
prancing steed, and is ready to follow her 
mountaineer 'to the last gasp with love and 
loyalty.' " 

We have a curious use of the lasso in the 
hands of a Californian horseman : 

" The lasso is also of great use in furnishing 
the public with a favorite, though barbarous 
sport : the combat between a bear and a wild 
bull. For this purpose three or four horsemen 
sally forth to some wood frequented by bears, 
and, depositing the carcass of a bullock, hide 
themselves in the vicinity. The bears are soon 
attracted by the bait. As soon as one fit for 
their purpose makes his appearance they run 
out and dexterously noose him by either leg. 
After dragging him at full speed until he is fa- 
tigued they secure him more effectually, and, 
tying him on the carcass of the bullock, draw 
him in triumph to the scene of action. By this 
time he is exasperated to such frenzy that they 

are sometimes obliged to throw cold water on 
16 



242 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

him to moderate his fury ; and dangerous would 
it be for horse and rider were he, while in this 
paroxysm, to break his bonds. 

" A wild bull of the fiercest kind, which has 
been caught and exasperated in the same man- 
ner, is now produced, and both animals are 
turned loose in the arena of a small amphithea- 
ter. The mortal fight begins instantly, and 
always at first to the disadvantage of Bruin, 
fatigued as he is by his previous rough riding. 
Roused at length by the repeated goring of the 
bull, he seizes his muzzle with his sharp claws, 
and, clinging to this most sensitive part, causes 
him to bellow with rage and agony. In his 
heat and fury the bull lolls out his tongue ; this 
is easily clutched by the bear ; with a desperate 
effort he overturns his huge antagonist, and then 
dispatches him without difficulty." 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 243 



CHAPTER XXX. 

T T was in the midst of this season of busy 
-*- authorship and publishing that Mr. Irving 
purchased his famous seat of " Sunnyside." 
The place which he selected was a beautiful spot 
on the banks of the Hudson near Tarrytown, 
and comprised ten acres of ground, with a small 
Dutch cottage upon it built of stone. He thus 
describes the locality and his plan : " It is a 
beautiful spot, capable of being made a little 
paradise. There is a small stone Dutch cottage 
on it, built about a century since, and inhabited 
by one of the Van Tassels. I have had an 
architect up there, and shall build upon the old 
mansion this summer. My idea is to make a 
little nookery somewhat in the Dutch style, 
quaint, but unpretending. It will be of stone. 
The cost will not be much. I do not intend to 
set up any establishment there, but to put some 
simple furniture in it and keep it as a nest, to 
which I can resort when in the mood." Soon 
afterward he writes again : " The workmen 



244 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

are busy upon my cottage, which I think will be 
a snug little Dutch nookery when finished. It 
will be of stone, so as to be cool in summer and 
warm in winter. The expense will be but 
moderate, as I have it built in the simplest 
manner, depending upon its quaintness rather 
than its costliness." Subsequently, on visiting 
the spot and inspecting the erection of the cot- 
tage, he tells his brother that he intends to write 
a legend or two about it and its vicinity by way 
of making it pay for itself. 

Another letter to his brother Peter, who had 
now been abroad more than a quarter of a century, 
and who was contemplating a return home, pre- 
sents at once a charming picture of the new 
cottage home and of the warm fraternal affec- 
tion glowing in the bosom of its proprietor. 
" My cottage," he writes, " is not yet finished, 
but I shall drive at it as soon as the opening of 
spring will permit, and I trust by the time of 
your arrival to have a delightful little nest for 
you on the banks of the Hudson. It will be 
fitted to defy both hot weather and cold. There 
is a lovely prospect from its windows, and a 
sweet green bank in front, shaded by locust 
trees, up which the summer breeze creeps de- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 245 

lightfully. It is one of the most delicious banks 
in the world for reading, and dozing, and dream- 
ing during the heats of summer ; and there are 
no mosquitoes in the neighborhood. Here you 
shall have a room to yourself that shall be a 
sanctum sanctorum. You may have your meals 
in it if you please, and be as much alone as you 
desire. You shall also have a room prepared 
for you in town, where you will be equally 
master of your time and yourself, and free from 
all intrusion ; while at both places you will have 
those at hand who love and honor you, and who 
will be ready to do any thing that may con- 
tribute to your comfort." 

Thus how pure and beautiful is true affection ; 
and that, too, whether fraternal, filial, or parental ! 
And how is it intensified and elevated when its 
objects are frail and feeble, as was this absent 
brother, and when dark fears come in that they 
may not be long with us ! What would our love 
not prompt us to do for such dear ones ! And 
how eager we are to spend and be spent in their 
behalf! And then if the grave must close over 
them, how unutterable is the love that mingles 
itself with our great sorrow, impelling us almost 
to the wish that we might lie down with the 



246 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

loved and lost, and sleep the long sleep with 
them ! And yet Christianity reproves all this, 
and whispers to bereaved mourners touching 
their departed treasures, " Not lost, but gone 
before ! " 

The long-absent brother whom Irving, as above, 
addressed so pleasantly and affectionately, and 
who on his return home was to receive so wel- 
come a reception, reached New York in the fol- 
lowing summer, and the promised home at 
" Sunnyside" was ready for him in the early 
autumn. 

The closing months of this same year of 1836 
found Washington, at fifty-three years of age, 
pleasantly and happily domiciled in his new and 
beautiful home on the banks of the Hudson. 
It is, indeed, a sunny scene to contemplate. 
The author's literary fame is wide-spread, ac- 
knowledged, and sure. Personally he is greatly 
and universally respected and beloved. His 
health is perfect, and his spirits buoyant and 
sprightly as in the days of his youth. His pe- 
cuniary circumstances are entirely comfortable 
and increasingly prosperous. His pen has been, 
for the most part, greatly industrious, and was 
never more so than now. His audience has 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 247 

grown to millions, and he has only to write, and a 
hundred publishers are ready and earnest to print, 
and the world is eager to read. The very high- 
est and selectest society welcome him to its 
brilliant circles. Brothers and sisters are proud 
of him, and an interesting circle of nephews and 
nieces look up to him with admiration, love, and 
veneration. The " Roost" is the significant 
epithet by which he has labeled his new and 
pleasant home. His beloved brother is with 
him, cheerful and happy after his long exile and 
repeated misfortunes. Two trusty and compe- 
tent servants, a man and woman, attend to all 
their domestic wants ; and thus there opens to 
us at this " Sunnyside " home about as attract- 
ive a picture of bachelor life as can be well con- 
ceived. 

One evening the proprietor returns to the 
" Roost" from the great city, and he sits down 
and pens a letter to an absent niece, and tells 
her, or rather writes that he cannot tell her, of 
his happiness in getting back again to his " own 
dear bright little home, and leave behind him 
the hurry and worry and flurry of the city." He 
found all things going on well, his brother pass- 
ing his time comfortably with better health and 



248 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

spirits, and still improving, enjoying the cosy 
comforts of the cottage, regular in his meals, 
cheerful, social, and busy. He adds that the 
geese and ducks are at peace ; that a fancy pig 
has arrived at the cottage, which, being of the 
fair sex, and of " peculiar beauty," he calls Fanny ; 
that " Imp," that is, the cat, has taken to him 
lovingly, and that he expects to have great com- 
fort in that cat " if it should be spared," etc. A 
few days later he writes to Ebenezer that " all 
goes on well at the Roost. Brother Peter is 
getting quite in good feather again, and begins' 
to crow ! You must contrive to come up soon 
if it is only to see my new pig, which is a 
darling." 

So the " Roost " and its keeper have the seeming 
of perfect correspondence and harmony. " The 
place for the man, and the man for the place," 
was never more happily exemplified. Every 
thing was complete, tasteful, home-like, com- 
fortable, and comely. The decorous and excel- 
lent arrangements had been created by the 
author's own genius and under his constant 
supervision, and, being now completely prepared 
and finished, he was as completely ready and 
qualified to enjoy every thing appertaining to his 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 249 

fine establishment as is possible to imagine ; 
and the entire picture is, in a very high degree, 
pleasant and beautiful. Would that so attractive 
a scene might continue through many, many 
years ! But shadows must soon pass over even 
" Sunnyside ; " yet we will not anticipate. 



250 Memoir of Washington Irving 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

[X 1838 Mr. Irving received the Tammany 
■*- nomination for Mayor of New York City, 
which he very promptly declined. Immediately 

afterward he was invited by President Van 
Buren to a seat in his cabinet as Secretary oi 

the Navy, which he also declined. In his reply 
to this flattering- invitation he said that it was 
not SO much the duties o\ the post that he feared, 
as the concerns of the Navy Department would 
be peculiarly interesting to him ; " but I shrink," 
he adds, " from the harsh cares and turmoils of 
public and political life at Washington, and feel 
that I am too sensitive to endure the bitter 
personal hostility and the slanders and mis- 
representations of the press which beset high 
station in this country. This argues, I confess, 
a weakness of spirit, and a want of true philoso- 
phy ; but I speak oi myself as I am, not as I 
ought to be. . . . I really believe it would take 
but a short career o{ public life at Washington 
to render me mentally and physically a perfect 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 251 

wreck, and to hurry me prematurely into old 
age." 

Amid the flattering honors thus proffered 
to Mr. Irving scenes of mourning and affliction 
were intermingled. In March of this year died 
his brother John, four years his senior, and who 
had for a score of years been first Judge of the 
Court of Common Pleas for the city and county 
of New York, and who was eminent for his 
moral and social qualities. 

In the following June came a much deeper 
affliction in the death of Peter. This was 
Irving's most cherished and dearest brother. 
They had both remained unmarried, had been 
much together in their long residence abroad, 
had encountered common misfortunes, were 
similar in many of their tastes, and were accus- 
tomed to confer together upon literary and other 
plans and enterprises. Indeed, history presents 
few instances of a purer, more elevated, unselfish 
and refined fraternal relationship than what long 
existed between these two brothers. All this 
is, specially manifest in Washington, who seemed 
to identify his own interests with those of his 
brother, with whom he was ever ready to share 
his last cent if it were necessary for the comfort 






252 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

of one he loved so much. When Peter, after so 
long an absence, was, in his feeble health, con- 
templating a return from Europe, Washington 
seemed to count it a mere pastime to cross the 
ocean for the purpose of conveying his invalid 
brother homeward. And there are few moral 
pictures more beautiful than that of Irving ar- 
ranging and furnishing, as we have before seen, 
in the new cottage of Sunnyside, the room that 
was to be the special resting-place and home of 
his cherished brother. And it is mournful to 
observe how few were the brief months which 
the invalid would be permitted to linger within 
that peaceful paradise. Yet such is this world, 
and here we have no continuing city. Happy 
they who seek one to come ! 

A letter of Irving to one of his sisters, penned 
three months after his brother's decease, par- 
tially reveals the depths of his affliction and the 
greatness of his bereavement. " Every day," he 
writes, " every hour, I feel how completely Peter 
and myself were intertwined together in the 
whole course of our existence. Indeed, the very 
circumstance of our both having never been 
married bound us more closely together. The 
rest of the family were married and had families 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 253 

of their own to engross or divide their sympa- 
thies, and to weaken the fraternal tie ; but we 
stood in the original, unimpaired relation to 
each other, and in proportion as others were 
weaned away by circumstances we grew more 
and more together. I was not conscious how 
much this was the case while he was living, but 
now that he is gone I feel how all-important he 
was to me. A dreary feeling of loneliness 
comes on me at times that I reason against in 
vain ; for, though surrounded by affectionate 
relatives, I feel that none can be what he was 
to me ; none can take so thorough an interest 
in my concerns ; to none can I so confidingly lay 
open my every thought and feeling, and expose 
my every fault and foible, certain of such per- 
fect toleration and indulgence. Since our dear 
mother's death I have had no one who could so 
patiently and tenderly bear with all my weak- 
nesses and infirmities, and throw over every 
error the mantle of affection. I have been try- 
ing, of late, to resume my pen, and, by engaging 
my mind in some intellectual task, to keep it 
from brooding over these melancholy themes, 
but I find it almost impossible. My literary 
pursuits have been so often carried on by his 



254 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

side and under his eye, I have been so accus- 
tomed to talk over every plan with him, and, as 
it were, to think aloud when in his presence, 
that I cannot open a book, or take up a paper, 
or recall a past vein of thought, without having 
him instantly before me, and finding myself 
completely overcome." 

It was at this time, and partly to soothe his 
sorrow for his lost brother, that Mr. Irving com- 
menced a literary work which he counted upon 
as one of his most important efforts, and from 
which he anticipated an ample pecuniary com- 
pensation. The title of this new work was to 
be "The Conquest of Mexico." On this under- 
taking he had wrought diligently for some 
months, when he visited New York for the pur- 
pose of consulting some works relating to his 
theme in the " City Library." While thus 
engaged he was accosted by Mr. Cogswell, 
afterward connected with the Astor Library, 
who inquired of Irving concerning the subject 
upon which he was now employing himself. 
As the result of this interview he learned from 
Mr. Cogswell that Prescott, the historian, was 
engaged upon the same theme with himself. 
He was of course greatly surprised, and doubt- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 255 

less much disappointed also, as it was a subject 
in which he had long been deeply interested, 
and on which he had already expended much 
labor. He, however, promptly requested Mr. 
Cogswell to notify Mr. Prescott that he should 
abandon the subject to him, and that he was 
happy of the opportunity of testifying his great 
esteem for the talents of the historian. After 
reading over what he had written, in a fit of 
vexation for having lost so magnificent a theme 
he destroyed the manuscript. 



256 Memoir of Washington Irving. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

IN the spring of 1839 Mr. Irving entered into 
an engagement with the " Knickerbocker 
Magazine," by which he was to furnish monthly 
contributions for a compensation of two thou- 
sand dollars a year. This arrangement con- 
tinued during two years ; and the articles were 
afterward collected into a volume which he enti- 
tled " Wolfert's Roost," and which realized an 
extraordinary sale. 

The book comprises stories, sketches, legends, 
etc., the leading article having the same title as 
the book itself, and is a sort of history of his 
own Sunnyside comprised in three " Chron- 
icles." The work, as a whole, is in the author's 
accustomed style, and, while it had so remark- 
able a sale, enjoyed an equally remarkable 
recommendation to the public. For so abun- 
dant were the flattering notices of this little 
work that the publishers collected and published 
them by themselves in a pamphlet of twenty- 
four pages. Besides these notices, the " West- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 257 

minster Review " remarks : " We envy those 
who will now read these tales and sketches of 
character for the first time. Washington Irv- 
ing is here, as he always is, equal to himself. 
He has the finish of our best writers ; he has 
the equality and gentle humor of Addison and 
Goldsmith." 

The " London New Monthly Magazine," 
noticing " Wolfert's Roost," pleasantly remarks : 
" The warm-heart and the fine brain went 
into partnership, and wrote in good-fellowship 
together in the days of the ' Sketch-Book ' and 
' Salmagundi ;' and they found it answer, and 
continue each the other's true yoke-fellow to 
this hour. . . . ' Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.,' is re- 
vived here." 

Chronicle I of "Wolfert's Roost" thus com- 
menceth : 

" About five and twenty miles from the ancient 
and renowned city of Manhattan, formerly called 
New Amsterdam, and vulgarly called New York, 
on the eastern bank of that expansion of the 
Hudson known among Dutch mariners of yore 
as the Tappan Zee, being in fact the great Medi- 
terranean Sea of the New Netherlands, stands 

a little old-fashioned stone mansion, all made up 
17 



258 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

of gable-ends, and as full of angles and corners 
as an old cocked hat. It is said, in fact, to have 
been modeled after the cocked hat of Peter the 
Headstrong, as the Escurial was modeled after the 
gridiron of the blessed St. Lawrence. Though 
but of small dimensions, yet, like many small 
people, it is of mighty spirit, and values 
itself greatly on its antiquity, being one of the 
oldest edifices for its size in the whole country. 
It claims to be an ancient seat of empire, I may 
rather say an empire of itself, and, like all 
empires great and small, has had its grand his- 
torical epochs. In speaking of this doughty 
and valorous little pile I shall call it by its 
usual appellation of ' The Roost,' though that 
is a name given to it in modern days, since it 
became the abode of the white man." 

Wolfert Acker was one of the ancient deni- 
zens of " The Roost." He is represented as a 
worthy but ill-starred personage, whose aim 
through life had been to live in peace and quiet, 
and who yet had managed to keep in a.perpetual 
stew, and was accustomed to share in every 
broil and ribwasting in all the country round. 
At length he retired in high dudgeon to seek 
peace and quiet at this fastness of the wilderness 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 259 

called ' The Roost,' but he was still doomed to 
disappointment. 

" Wolfert's luck followed him into retirement, 
He had shut himself up from the world, but he 
had brought with him a wife, and it soon passed 
into a proverb throughout the neighborhood that 
the cock of ' The Roost ' was the most hen- 
pecked bird in the country. His house, too, 
was reputed to be harassed by Yankee witch- 
craft. When the weather was quiet every-where 
else, the wind, it was said, would howl and 
whistle about the gables ; witches and warlocks 
would whirl about upon the weather-cocks and 
scream down the chimneys ; nay, it was even 
hinted that Wolfert's wife was in league with 
the enemy, and used to ride on a broomstick to 
a witch's Sabbath in Sleepy Hollow. This, 
however, was all mere scandal, founded, per- 
haps, on her occasionally flourishing a broom- 
stick in the course of a curtain lecture, or rais- 
ing a storm within doors, as termagant wives 
are apt to do, and against which sorcery horse- 
shoes are of no avail. 

" Wolfert Acker died and was buried, but 
found no quiet even in the grave ; for, if popular 
gossip be true, his ghost has occasionally been 



260 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

seen walking by moonlight among the old gray 
moss-grown trees of his apple orchard." 

One of the sketches presents us, in language 
equally admirable and truthful, the English and 
French character antithetically delineated : 

" No greater contrast is exhibited than that 
of the French and English. The peace has 
deluged this gay city (Paris) with English visit- 
ors of all ranks and conditions. They throng 
every place of curiosity and amusement, fill the 
public gardens, the galleries, the cafes, saloons, 
theaters ; always herding together, never asso- 
ciating with the French. The two nations are 
like two threads of different colors, tangled to- 
gether, but never blended. 

" In fact, they present a continual antithe- 
sis, and seem to value themselves upon being 
unlike each other ; yet each have their peculiar 
merits, which should entitle them to each other's 
esteem. The French intellect is quick and 
active. It flashes its way into a subject with 
the rapidity of lightning, seizes upon remote 
conclusions with a sudden bound, and its de- 
ductions are almost intuitive. The English in- 
tellect is less rapid, but more persevering ; less 
sudden, but more sure in its deductions. The 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 261 

quickness and mobility of the French enable 
them to find enjoyment in the multiplicity of 
sensations. They speak and act more from 
immediate impressions than from reflection and 
meditation. They are, therefore, more social 
and communicative ; more fond of society, and 
of places of public resort and amusement. An 
Englishman is more reflective in his habits. 
He lives in the world of his own thoughts, 
and seems more self-existent and self-depend- 
ent. He loves the quiet of his own apartment ; 
even when abroad, he makes in a manner a 
little solitude around him by his silence and 
reserve ; he moves about shy and solitary, and, 
as it were, buttoned up, body and soul. 

" The French are great optimists ; they seize 
upon every good as it flies, and revel in the 
passing pleasure. The Englishman is too apt 
to neglect the present good in preparing against 
the possible evil. However adversities may 
lower, let the sun shine but for a moment and 
forth sallies the mercurial Frenchman, in holiday 
dress and holiday spirits, gay as a butterfly, as 
though his sunshine were perpetual ; but let 
the sun beam never so brightly, so there be but 
a cloud in the horizon, the wary Englishman 



262 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

ventures forth distrustfully, with his umbrella 
in his hand. 

" The Frenchman has a wonderful facility of 
turning small things to advantage. No one 
can be gay and luxurious on smaller means ; no 
one requires less expense to be happy. He 
practices a kind of gilding in his style of living, 
and hammers out every guinea into gold leaf. 
The Englishman, on the contrary, is expensive 
in his habits, and expensive in his enjoyments. 
He values every thing, whether useful or orna- 
mental, by what it costs. He has no satisfac- 
tion in show, unless it be solid and complete. 
Every thing goes with him by the square foot. 
Whatever display he makes, the depth is sure • 
to equal the surface. 

" The Frenchman's habitation, like himself, 
is open, cheerful, bustling, and noisy. He lives 
in a part of a great hotel, with wide portal, 
paved court, a spacious, dirty stone staircase, 
and a family on every floor. All is clatter and 
chatter. He is good-humored and talkative 
with his servants, sociable with his neigh- 
bors, and complaisant to all the world ; any body 
has access to himself and his apartments ; his 
very bed-room is open to visitors, whatever be 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 263 

its state of confusion ; and all this not from any 
peculiarly hospitable feeling, but from that com- 
municative habit which predominates over his 
character. 

" The Englishman, on the contrary, ensconses 
himself in a snug brick mansion, which he has 
all to himself; locks the frontdoor, puts broken 
bottles along his walls and spring-guns and 
man-traps in his gardens ; shrouds himself with 
trees and window curtains ; exults in his quiet 
and privacy, and seems disposed to keep out 
noise, daylight, and company. His house, like 
himself, has a reserved, inhospitable exterior ; 
yet whoever gains admittance is apt to find a 
warm heart and a warm fireside within. 

" The French excel in wit, the English in 
humor ; the French have gayer fancy, the 
English richer imaginations. The former are full 
of sensibility, easily moved, and prone to sud- 
den and great excitement ; but the excitement 
is not durable. The English are more phleg- 
matic, not so readily affected, but capable of 
being aroused to greater enthusiasm. The 
faults of these opposite temperaments are 
that the vivacity of the French is apt to sparkle 
up and be frothy, the gravity of the English 



264 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

to settle down and grow muddy. When 
the two characters can be fixed in a medium, 
the French kept from effervescence, and the 
English from stagnation, both will be found 
excellent." 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 265 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

IT was about this time (1840) that Mr. Irv- 
ing prepared his biography of " Goldsmith," 
forming one of the volumes of Harpers' Family 
Library.* 

His deeply interesting biography of " Mar- 
garet Davidson " f was published in 1 841, the 

*In his preface to "Goldsmith" Irving remarks of his 
writings that they were " the delight of his childhood, and 
had been a source of enjoyment to him throughout life." Mrs. 
Hall pronounces him " one of the most various and pleasing 
of English writers." His writings were voluminous, and 
occupied with a great variety of topics, in prose and poetry. 
Numerous biographies of " Goldsmith " have appeared at 
different times, among which those of Irving and Forster and 
Prior are perhaps the most valuable. 

t This was the younger of two most remarkable sisters — 
the elder, Lucretia Maria, born in 1808, and the younger, 
Margaret Miller, in 1823. Lucretia began to write verses at four 
years old, having secretly taught herself writing by copying 
letters from printed books. At sixteen she was placed at 
school at Troy, New York, where her health was soon under- 
mined by hard study. Being unrestrained from severe appli- 
cation she speedily fell into consumption, and died at seven- 
teen. She destroyed much of her poetry, but two hundred 
and seventy-eight pieces were preserved. 

Margaret, the younger sister, whose biography was prepared 
by Irving, was born in 1823, and was between two and three 



266 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

copyright of which he transferred to the mother 
of the youthful poetess. 

In a letter to a sister we have the following 
vivid and pleasant picture of his country neigh- 
borhood as it was at this time, and about four 
years after the completion of Sunnyside. " You 
would," he writes, " scarcely recognize the 
place, it has undergone such changes. These 
have in a great degree taken place since I have 
pitched my tent in the neighborhood. My 
residence here has attracted others ; cottages 
and country seats have sprung up along the 
banks of the Tappan Sea, and Tarrytown has 
become the metropolis of quite a fashionable 
vicinity. When you knew the village it was 
little better than a mere hamlet crouched down 
at the foot of a hill, with its dock for the accom- 

years old at the death of Lucretia. She began to write 
poems at six; at ten she wrote and acted a drama; her 
mental activity led her in the same way with her sister, and 
she, too, died of consumption when about fourteen years and 
a half old. The characters of these two sisters seemed nearly 
angelical, while their poems are marked by exceeding sweet- 
ness and beauty. The works of both sisters are published 
together. 

Of Margaret, Mr. Irving says: "I saw her when she was 
about eleven years old, and again when about fourteen. She 
was a beautiful little being, as bright and as fragile as a 
flower, and like a flower she has passed away. Her poetical 
effusions are surprising, and the spirit they breathe is heavenly." 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 267 

modation of the weekly market sloop. Now it 
has mounted the hill ; boasts of its hotels, and 
churches of various denominations ; has its 
little Episcopalian Church with an organ — the 
gates of which on Sundays are thronged with 
equipages belonging to families resident within 
ten or a dozen miles along the river banks. We 
have, in fact, one of the most agreeable neigh- 
borhoods I ever resided in. Some of our neigh- 
bors are here only for the summer, having their 
winter establishments in town ; others remain 
in the country all the year. We have frequent 
gatherings at each other's houses without parade 
or expense, and I do not know when I have seen 
more delightful little parties, or more elegant 
little groups of females. We have occasionally 
excellent music, for several of the neighborhood 
have been well taught, have good voices, and 
acquit themselves well both with harp and 
piano ; and our parties always end with a dance. 
We have picnic parties also, sometimes in some 
inland valley or piece of wood, sometimes on 
the banks of the Hudson, where some repair by 
land, others by water. You would be delighted 
with these picturesque assemblages on some 
wild woodland point jutting into the Tappan 



268 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

Sea, with gay groups on the green under the 
trees ; carriages glistening through the woods ; 
a yacht, with flapping sails and fluttering stream- 
ers, anchored about half a mile from shore, and 
row-boats plying to and from it filled with lady 
passengers." 



Memoir of Washington Irving, 269 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

A NEW and distinguished honor was now 
£*- awaiting Washington Irving. He was 
contemplating anew a Life of his great and 
illustrious namesake, and had actually com- 
menced the work, when news came suddenly to 
him that he had received the appointment of 
Minister to Spain. Nothing seemed to have 
been further from his thoughts than such an ap- 
pointment. Daniel Webster, then Secretary of 
State, who had recommended Irving for this 
Embassy, remarked, when sufficient time had 
elapsed for the message to reach him, " Wash- 
ington is now the most astonished man in the 
city of New York ! " 

Every way honorable to Irving was this ap- 
pointment, and the circumstances attending it. 
As noticed, it was utterly unexpected and un- 
thought of ; of course it was entirely unsought. 
Nor was it due to any political opinions or 
preferences, for he seems to have been the 
least of all a political partisan. His acquaint- 



270 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

ance with Spain and the Spanish language 
doubtless had its weight in the appointment, 
while it seemed to be mainly due to his general 
merit and popularity. A note from New York 
to his brother, then at Sunnyside, tells briefly 
the story : 

" Nothing could be more gratifying than the 
manner in which this appointment has been 
made. It was suggested by Mr. Webster to the 
President, immediately adopted by him, heartily 
concurred in by all the Cabinet, and confirmed in 
the Senate almost by acclamation. When it was 
mentioned, Mr. Clay, who has opposed almost 
all the other nominations, exclaimed, ' Ah, this 
is a nomination every body will concur in ! If 
the President would send us such names as this 
we should never have any difficulty.' What has 
still more enhanced the gratification of this 
signal honor is the unanimous applause with 
which it is greeted by the public. The only 
drawback upon all this is the hard trial of tear- 
ing myself away from dear little Sunnyside. 
This has harassed me more than I can express ; 
but I begin to reconcile myself to it, as it will 
be but a temporary absence." 

Of course, Mr. Irving accepted the appoint- 






Memoir of Washington Irving. 271 



ment ; and after visiting Washington to receive 
his instructions, and declining a public dinner 
proffered to him, without distinction of party, at 
New York, he embarked for Spain April 10, 1842. 
A rapid and prosperous voyage brought him to 
Bristol, Eng., whence he took cars for London. 
Here and at Birmingham, with his sister, Mrs. 
Van Wart, he spent three or four delightful 
weeks, and then crossed the channel to Havre, 
and after a few days proceeded thence by steam- 
boat and cars to Paris. In a letter to his sister 
at Birmingham is an affecting allusion to this 
passage up to the metropolis : " My visit to my 
excellent friend Beasly," he writes, " and my 
voyage up the Seine, however gratifying in other 
respects, were full of melancholy associations ; 
for at every step I was reminded of my dear, 
dear brother Peter, who had so often been my 
companion in these scenes. In fact he is con- 
tinually present to my mind since my return to 
Europe, where we passed so many years to- 
gether ; and I think this circumstance con- 
tributes greatly to the mixture of melancholy 
with which of late I regard all those scenes and 
objects which once occasioned such joyous ex- 
citement." Visiting one little quiet and favorite 



272 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

spot of his brother's resort at Rouen, he was 
entirely unmanned. " I was, for a time, a com- 
plete child. My dear, dear brother ! As I write 
the tears are gushing from my eyes." 

At Paris also, as at London, Mr. Irving 
lingered a few weeks, making his home with his 
niece, Mrs. Storrow, who, not long before, had 
been one of the little circle at the " Roost." 
Here he paid his respects, of course, to the 
American Minister, Mr. Cass, and was introduced 
by him to the royal family and other distin- 
guished persons. 

Early in July, in company with his Secretary 
and the two young gentlemen attached to the 
Embassy, he set forward for Madrid. The party 
traveled by easy stages, stopping at several 
old historical localities, and reached Madrid on 
the 25th of the month. He had arranged to 
occupy the quarters of his predecessor, assum- 
ing his apartments, furniture, servants, and, in 
general, the entire establishment. Thus, with 
the least possible trouble or delay, he found 
himself, with his companions, pleasantly situated, 
and ready at once for the customary presenta- 
tions at court. In a day or two he is formally 
and officially introduced by his predecessor to 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 273 

the Regent, Espartero ; afterward he is pre- 
sented in his official capacity to the young Queen 
Isabella. " She received me," he writes, " with 
a grave and quiet welcome, expressed in a very 
low voice. She is nearly twelve years of age, 
and is sufficiently well grown for her years. 
She has a somewhat fair complexion, quite pale, 
with bluish or light gray eyes, a grave de- 
meanor, but a graceful deportment. I could 
not but regard her with deep interest, knowing 
what important concerns depended upon the 
life of this fragile little being, and to what a 
stormy and precarious career she might be 
destined." Upon these closing words the pres- 
ent exiled condition of this same Queen Isabella 
is an impressive commentary. 

Here, after being well settled with his books, 
Mr. Irving had anticipated abundant leisure 
and opportunity for literary occupation, and 
proposed to engage at once upon his Life of 
Washington. This pleasant anticipation, how- 
ever, was not destined to be fulfilled. He did, 
indeed, compose several chapters of his new 
work, but he was soon compelled to experience 
a return of the tedious disease which had 

troubled him twenty years before. This attack 
18 



274 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

of illness was long and wearisome, rendering it 
impossible for him to write, while even reading 
was disapproved by his physician. By the ad- 
vice of the latter, he, about a year after his arrival 
at Madrid, committed the care of the Embassy 
to his Secretary and made a visit to Paris, 
taking lodgings at Versailles with his niece and 
her husband. Here his time passed delightfully, 
although he was able to walk but little without 
aggravating his malady. He returned, after an 
absence of three months, just in time to witness 
the rejoicings on account of the young Queen's 
accession to the throne. " All the houses," he 
writes, " were decorated, the balconies hung with 
tapestry ; there were triumphal arches, fountains 
running with milk and wine, games, dances, 
processions and parades by day, illuminations 
and spectacles at night, and the streets were 
constantly thronged by the populace in their 
holiday garb." 

Mr. Irving was now sixty years of age, and 
during the year and a half which he had spent 
abroad, part of which time he experienced 
ill health, he often looked with longing eyes 
toward his " dear Sunnyside home." " My heart 
yearns for home, and as I have now probably 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 275 

turned the last corner in life, and my remain- 
ing years are growing scanty in number, I 
begrudge every one that I am obliged to pass 
separated from my cottage and my kindred." 

In the summer of 1844, while at Barcelona, 
whither he had come from Madrid with dis- 
patches from our Government to the Spanish 
Queen, Mr. Irving received also a dispatch 
granting him temporary leave of absence for the 
benefit of his health. Accordingly, in a week's 
time he was off for Paris, by way of Marseilles, 
Avignon, and Lyons. Passing a few delightful 
days with his niece and her family at Versailles, 
he set off for Havre to visit a friend there, and 
thence took passage direct to London. Passing 
through the city incognito, he immediately took 
cars for his sister's at Birmingham, whence, 
after a three weeks' visit, he set his face again 
toward France. At Paris he tarried some time 
to avail himself of the baths, visited the royal 
family at St. Cloud, and then proceeded to 
Madrid, which he reached near the middle of 
November, to the great joy of his household." 

Mr. Irving's private letters of this period of his 
Embassy represent the Spanish court as being 
remarkably gay. The present exiled Queen 



276 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

he pictures as being then in her bright and early 
youth, handsome, gay, and full of life. At a 
court ball at the hotel of General Narvaez " she 
was in high glee. Indeed, I never saw a school- 
girl at a school ball enjoy herself more com- 
pletely. At some blunders and queer and old- 
fashioned dancing of one of the foreign ministers 
she was convulsed with laughter. " I have 
never seen her in such a joyous mood, having 
chiefly seen her on ceremonious occasions, and 
had no idea that she had so much real fun in 
her disposition. She danced with various mem- 
bers of the diplomatic corps ; and about four 
o'clock in the morning, when she was asked if 
she could venture upon another dance, ' O yes ! ' 
she replied, ' I could dance eight more if nec- 
essary."' Mr. Irving's own mental position at 
this period of his life, and amid the gayeties 
of the Spanish court, is not without interest. 
In a letter to his niece, Mrs. Storrow, he repre- 
sents himself as often being, in the midst of the 
brilliant throngs, the very dullest of the dull, as 
inclined to gaze on the crowd around him with 
perfect apathy, and finds it next to impossible 
to reciprocate the common-place speeches so 
common in fashionable society. " I have grown 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 277 

too old or too wise for all that. I hope those 
who observe my delinquency attribute it to the 
latter cause." 

Whether they did so "attribute it" or not, 
a multitude of others, equally wise and good, 
will unfailingly contemplate the matter in ac- 
cordance with his wishes ; and the pity is that 
such beautiful wisdom too often comes so late ; 
that it should not come even amid the dew of 
youth. 

" My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and 
hide my commandments with thee ; so that thou 
incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine 
heart to understanding ; yea, if thou cryest after 
knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for under- 
standing ; if thou seekest her as silver, and 
searchest for her as for hid treasures ; then 
shalt thou understand." 



78 Memoir of Washington Irving. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

w I ^HE spring sf [845 found Mr. Irving again 
-*- restored to perfect health, and anticipat- 
ing the gratification of returning to the use of 
his pen, now for a long time laid aside save for 
the purpose of correspondence. In the follow- 
ing autumn lie sent home his resignation of the 
Spanish Embassy ; but his successor did not 
arrive until July of the next year, when he at 
once set out for England, and early in Septem- 
ber embarked (or Boston, where he arrived safely 
on the 1 8th, having been absent about four and 
a half years. 

The day after he reached Boston he was in 
New York, and that afternoon he took passage 
for Sunnyside, What was his joy on reaching 
his home so greatly " beloved and longed for," 
and what was the joy of his friends to greet him 
after so long an absence, must be left to the 
imagination of the reader. 

He very soon undertook an ample enlarge- 
ment of the cottage, so as to render it entirely 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 279 

eligible for the accommodation of himself and 
his brother's family. The improvement thus 
made seems, when finished, to have surpassed 
his expectation. But he did not stop with the 
dwelling, for, writing to his niece at Paris, he in- 
forms her that he had proceeded to bring his 
place into complete order, providing all the 
necessary offices for accommodating horses, 
poultry, and for other purposes ; and that the 
constant superintendence of his improvements 
had much fatigued him, and had revived, to 
some extent, his old disease. But he enjoyed 
the satisfaction of seeing his place brought into 
perfect order " both within doors and without." 
A few days afterward issues from his pencil 
the following picture : 

" My own place has never been so beautiful 
as at present. I have made more openings by 
pruning and cutting down trees, so that from 
the piazza I have several charming views of the 
Tappan Sea and the hills beyond, all set, as it 
were, in a verdant frame ; and I am never tired of 
sitting there in my old Voltaire chair of a sum- 
mer morning, with a book in my hand, sometimes 
reading, sometimes musing, and sometimes doz- 
ing, and mixing all up in a pleasant dream." 



280 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

Irving seems now to be favorably situated for 
resuming his pen, and we accordingly find him 
fully at work upon his " Life of Washington." 
The winter of 1847 he spent among his friends 
in New York. His practice here was to work 
with his pen during the morning hours, and de- 
vote the remainder of the day and evening to 
visiting and attending the opera. 

In the following summer he entered into an 
arrangement with Mr. George P. Putnam for the 
publication of a new and uniform edition of his 
works. By this arrangement Mr. Putnam was 
to publish the works entirely at his own expense, 
and allow the author twelve and a half per cent, 
on the retail price of each volume sold. The 
arrangement proved advantageous to both par- 
ties. The new editions as they successively 
appeared met with full success ; a success which 
proved conclusively that the fame of the author, 
instead of being empty and transient, was of 
that kind which is solid and enduring. 

This new publication by Putnam of Irving's 
writings included not only the works heretofore 
published, but several new volumes additional. 
He prepared, for example, by request of Mr. 
Putnam, a new ancj enlarged Biography of Gold- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 281 

smith. He wrote this work with great dispatch, 
intermitting, for the purpose, his labor on his 
Life of Washington. He further prolonged 
that intermission to write his two volumes, 
" Mahomet and his Successors." These were 
both added to the list of the collected works, 
while the " Alhambra" and " Conquest of 
Granada" closed the revised series. 

This important plan being fulfilled, Mr. Irving 
once more resumed his " Washington, " which 
he designed to be his great and last work, and 
which he was anxious to complete so as to 
enjoy a little season of leisure and rest previous 
to his death. In the beginning of the year 1852, 
in a letter to his niece at Paris, penned when 
sixty-nine years of age, we have a picture as 
affecting as it is interesting. " It is now half 
past twelve at night, and I am sitting here 
scribbling in my study long after all the family 
are abed and asleep, a habit I have fallen much 
into of late. Indeed, I never fagged more 
steadily with my pen than I do at present. I 
have a long task in hand which I am anxious to 
finish, that I may have a little leisure in the 
brief remnant of life that is left to me. How- 
ever, I have a strong presentiment that I shall 



282 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

die in harness, and I am content to do so, pro- 
vided I have the cheerful exercise of intellect to 
the last." 

Yet as the spring comes on he complains that 
his work in hand lags and drags heavily, being 
interrupted by repeated turns of ill-health, which 
seem to have been common with him for the 
two or three preceding years. " This spring," 
he writes, " I have been almost entirely idle, 
from my mind's absolutely refusing to be put in 
harness. I no longer dare task it as I used to 
do. When a man is in his seventieth year it is 
time to be cautious. I thought I should have 
been through this special undertaking by this 
time, but an unexpected turn of bilious fever in 
midwinter put me all aback, and now I have 
renounced all further pressing myself in the 
matter." 

This state of things determined him to spend 
a part of the ensuing summer at Saratoga, 
where he entered with zest into the social life 
of that celebrated resort ; and the pleasant 
recreation in which he indulged, together with 
a free use of the waters, proved decidedly bene- 
ficial. " I take the waters every morning," he 
writes, " and think they have a great effect on 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 283 

my system. I have entirely got rid of all bil- 
ious symptoms, and find my mental faculties 
refreshed, invigorated, and brightened up. I 
have no doubt I derive some benefit from gos- 
siping away part of the day in very agreeable 
female society, in which I experience such favor- 
able treatment as inclines me to think old gen- 
tlemen are coming into fashion." 

Returning from Saratoga about the first of 
August, so much was his delightful company 
missed there that many of those still remaining 
joined in an invitation to him to return, that the 
pleasure of his society might for a few days be 
renewed. He, however, declined the invita- 
tion. Of course, while at the Springs he was 
an object of universal attention, for his fame had 
long since become national. At the same time, 
as a friend who was with him there writes, " No 
one seemed more unconscious of the celebrity to 
which he had attained. In this there was not 
a particle of affectation. Nothing he shrank 
from with greater earnestness and sincerity 
than any attempt to lionize him. . . . He much 
preferred sauntering out alone, or with some 
familiar friend — trusting to any accidental event 
that might occur to indulge his own whim 



284 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

or fancy, or crack a joke, as occasion might 
call" 

The next winter Mr. Irving visited Washing- 
ton, and was the guest for nearly two months 
of Secretary Kennedy. The main purpose of 
this visit was to consult the State archives in 1 
aid of his " Life of Washington." He seems, 
however, to have accomplished his purpose with 
much difficulty, owing to the perpetual lionizing 
to which he was subjected there, as in the sum- 
mer before at Saratoga. He writes to his nieces 
at home that he had a world of documents 
to examine, but was much interrupted. He 
was managing, however, to keep clear of the 
evening parties, but the long dinners and return 
of visits were inevitable, and " cut up his time 
deplorably." He tarried till after the inaugu- 
ration of President Pierce, and then returned to 
Sunnyside. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 285 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

FROM the period of his return from Wash- 
ington for two years onward, Mr. Irving 
seems to have prosecuted, with considerable in- 
tervals of sickness, excursions, and visits, his 
new work. His health after reaching seventy 
was capricious and uncertain. His spirits, 
however, were almost always cheery, and he 
retained fully all those genial and kindly traits 
for which he had throughout life been so greatly 
distinguished. 

He was seventy-two when he issued the first 
volume of his "Washington." This volume 
carried forward the history of its subject to his 
arrival at the camp before Boston as Com- 
mander-in-Chief of the American Army. He 
appears to have had serious misgivings in re- 
spect to the reception and success of this vol- 
ume, entertaining some fears that it " might be 
the death of him." Amid such misgivings and 
fears, however, he received the following note 
from Mr. Bancroft, the historian : 



286 Memoir of Washington In.ing. 

" Your volume, of which I gained a copy last 
night, (and this morning have received one made 
still more precious by your own hand.) short- 
ened my sleep last night at both ends. I 
up late and early, and could not rest until I had 
finished the last page. Candor, good judgment 
that knows no bias, the felicity oi selection, 
these are yours in common with the best histo- 
rians. But, in addition, you have the peculiarity 
of writing from the heart, enchaining sympathy 
■S'\ as commanding confidence — the happy 
magic that makes scenes, events, and personal 
anecdotes present the - to you at your 

bidding, and fall into their natural places, and take 
color and warmth from your own nature. The 
stvle, too, is masterly, clear, easy, and graceful ; 
picturesque without mannerism, and ornamented 
without losing simplicity. Among men of let- 
ters who do well, you must above all take the 
name of Felix, which so few of the great Roman 
generals could claim. You do every thing 
rightly, as if by grace ; and I am in no fear of 
offending your modesty, for I think you were 
elected and fore-ordained to excel your contem- 
pora: 

Such a letter as this, and from such a source, 






Memoir of Washington Irving. 287 



joined with other flattering notices of the 
new work, encouraged him to proceed, and to 
accomplish the entire undertaking at what 
expense of labor. 

Hence, within six months following the first 
volume appeared the second, bringing the nar- 
rative down to the victories of Trenton and 
Princeton. On the reception of this volume 
Prescott, the historian, thus addresses the 
author : 

" You have done with Washington just as I 
thought you would ; and, instead of a cold 
marble statue of a demi-god, you have made him 
a being of flesh and blood like ourselves — one 
with whom we can have sympathy. The gen- 
eral sentiment of the country has been too 
decidedly expressed for you to doubt for a 
moment that this is the portrait of him which 
is to hold a permanent place in the national 
galle: 

Other letters of approval from different sources, 
Bancroft, Tuckerman, and others, poured in 
upon him as this second volume appeared. In 
two months more the third volume was already 
:ig through the press, and was published 
in the following July, (1856.) extending the nar- 



288 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

rative to Washington's return to winter-quarters 
in 1779. In May of the following year the 
fourth volume was published, on occasion of 
which a letter from Bancroft pronounced his 
picture of Washington " the most vivid and 
truest that had ever been written ;" and Pres- 
cott writes, " I have never before fully compre- 
hended the character of Washington, nor did I 
know what capabilities it would afford to his 
biographer. Hitherto we have only seen him 
as a sort of marble Colossus, full of moral great- 
ness, but without the touch of humanity that 
would give him interest. You have known how 
to give the marble flesh color, that brings it to 
the resemblance of life." 

On the 9th of March, 1859, ne P ut tne finish- 
ing touch to the fifth and last volume of his 
" Life of Washington." The printers were 
nearly up with him when the final sheet was 
completed, and the volume appeared forthwith. 
And the pen of Washington Irving dropped 
from his hand never to be resumed. 

We subjoin here a general view, from the 
pen of Edward Everett, of Mr. Irving as a 
writer : 

" We regard Washington Irving as the best 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 289 

living writer of English prose. Let those who 
doubt the correctness of this opinion name his 
superior. Let our brethren in England name 
the writer whom they place before Washington 
Irving. He unites the various qualities of a 
perfect manner of writing ; and so happily- 
adjusted and balanced are they, that their 
separate marked existence disappears in their 
harmonious blending. His style is sprightly, 
pointed, easy, correct, and expressive, without 
being too studiously guarded against the oppo- 
site faults. It is without affectation, parade, or 
labor. If we were to characterize a manner 
which owes much of its merit to the absence of 
any glaring characteristic, we should perhaps 
say that it is, above the style of all other 
writers of the day, marked with an expressive 
elegance. Washington Irving never buries up 
the clearness and force of the meaning under 
a heap of fine words ; nor, on the other hand, 
does he think it necessary to be coarse, sloven- 
ly, or uncouth, in order to be emphatic. . . . 

" In bestowing upon Mr. Irving the praise of 
a perfect style of writing it must not be under- 
stood that we commend him in a point of mere 

manner. To write as Mr. Irving writes is not 
19 



290 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

an affair which rests in a dexterous use of 
words alone ; at least not if we admit the popu- 
lar but unphilosophical distinction between 
words and ideas. Mr. Irving writes well be- 
cause he thinks well ; because his ideas are 
just, clear, and definite. He knows what he 
wants to say, and expresses it distinctly and 
intelligibly because he so apprehends it. There 
is also no affectation of the writer, because 
there is none in the man. There is no pomp 
in his sentences, because there is no arro- 
gance in his temper. There is no over- 
loading with ornament, because, with the eye 
of an artist, he sees when he has got enough ; 
and he is sprightly and animated because he 
catches his tints from nature, and dips his 
pencil in truth, which is always fresh and 
racy. . . . 

"Washington Irving has been much and 
justly commended in England and America, 
but full justice has not yet been done him. 
Compare him with any of the distinguished 
writers of his class of this generation, except- 
ing Sir Walter Scott, and with almost any of 
what are called the English classics of any age. 
Compare him with Goldsmith, one of the canon- 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 291 

ized names of the British pantheon of letters, 
who touched every kind of writing, and adorned 
every thing he touched. In one or two depart- 
ments, it is true — that of poetry, and the one or 
two departments which Mr. Irving has not 
attempted, and in drama departments, which 
Mr. Irving has not attempted, and in which 
much of Goldsmith's merit lies — the comparison 
partly fails ; but place their pretensions in every 
other respect side by side, who would think 
of giving the miscellaneous writings of Gold- 
smith a preference over those of Irving ? and 
who would name his historical compositions with 
the " Life of Columbus ? " If in the drama and 
in poetry Goldsmith should seem to have ex- 
tended his province greatly beyond that of 
Irving, the " Life of Columbus " is a chef d 'oenvre 
in a department which Goldsmith can scarcely 
be said to have touched ; for the trifles on 
Grecian and Roman history which his poverty 
extorted from him deserve to enter into com- 
parison with Mr. living's great work about as 
much as Eutropius deserves to be compared 
with Livy. Then how much wider Irving's 
range in that department common to both, the 
painting of manners and character ! From Mr. 



292 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

Irving we have the humors of contemporary 
politics and every-day life in America: the 
traditionary peculiarities of the Dutch founders 
of New York ; the nicest shades of the school 
of English manners of the last century ; the 
chivalry of the Middle Ages in Spain; the 
glittering visions of Moorish romance — a large 
cycle of sentimental creations founded on the 
invariable experience, the pathetic sameness, 
of the human heart, and, lastly, the whole un- 
hackneyed freshness of the West : life beyond 
the border, a camp outside the frontier, a 
hunt on buffalo ground, beyond which neither 
white nor Pawnee, man nor muse can go. 
This is Mr. Irving' s range, and in every part of 
it he is equally at home. When he writes the 
" History of Columbus " you see him weighing 
doubtful facts in the scales of a golden criticism. 
You behold him laden with the manuscript 
treasures of well-searched archives, and dispos- 
ing the heterogeneous materials into a well- 
digested and instructive narration. Take down 
another of his volumes, and you find him in 
the parlor of an English country inn of a rainy 
day, and you look out of the window with him 
upon the dripping, dreary desolation of the 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 293 

back-yard. Anon, he takes you into the ances- 
tral hall of a Baronet of the old school and 
instructs you in the family traditions, of 
which the memorials adorn the walls and de- 
pend from the rafters. Before you are wearied 
with the curious lore you are on the pursuit 
of Kidd, the pirate, in the recesses of Long 
Island ; and, by the next touch of the enchant- 
er's wand, you are rapt into an enthusiastic 
reverie of the mystic East within the crum- 
bling walls of the Alhambra. You sigh to 
think you were not born six hundred years 
ago, that you could not have beheld those now 
deserted halls as they once blazed in triumph, 
and rang with the mingled voices of Oriental 
chivalry and song, when you find yourself 
once more borne across the Atlantic, whirled 
into the Western wilderness, with a prairie 
wide as the ocean before you, and a dusky 
herd of buffaloes, like a crowded convoy of 
fleeing merchantmen, looming in the horizon 
and inviting you to the chase. This is literally 
" nullum fere genus scribendi non tigit nullum 
quod tetiget non ornovit* Whether any thing 

* " There was almost no kind of writing which he did not 
touch, or which, touching, he did not adorn." 



294 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

like an equal range is to be found in the 
works of him on whom the splendid compli- 
ment was first bestowed it is not difficult to 
say." 




Memoir of Washington Irving. 295 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

1\ TR. IRVING was one of the not very nu- 
■L'-l- merous class of writers who become rich 
by authorship ; and, whatever may be thought 
of his lack of business capacity otherwise, 
certain it is that his transactions with his several 
publishers indicate no such deficiency. 

From most of his works he shrewdly managed 
to reap a double harvest, English and American ; 
selling at once his copyrights to his English 
publishers, and leasing them to his publishers 
at home. Thus we have the following exhibit, 
nearly as presented by his biographer : 

Amounts realized from the sale of Copyrights in 
England : 

Sketch-Book, £467 10s., or about $2,338 00 

Bracebridge Hall 5*250 00 

Tales of a Traveler 7,875 00 

Life of Columbus I 5»75o 00 

Companions of Columbus 2,625 °° 

Conquest of Granada 10,500 00 

Tour on the Prairies 2,000 00 

Abbotsford and Newstead 2,000 00 

Legends of Spain 500 00 

Alhambra 5,250 00 

Astoria 2,500 00 

Bonneville's Adventures 4,500 00 

Amount $61,088 00 



2g6 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

Amounts realized in the United States for Leases 
of Copyrights : 

Columbus $3>ooo 00 

Abridgment of Columbus 6,000 00 

Conquest of Granada 4>750 00 

Companions of Columbus 1,500 00 

Alhambra 3,000 00 

Tour on the Prairies 2,400 00 

Abbotsford and Newstead . . 2,100 00 

Legends of the Conquest of Spain 1*500 00 

Astoria 4,000 00 

Bonneville's Adventures 3,000 00 

Knickerbocker, Sketch-Book, Bracebridge Hall, 

and Tales 4,200 00 

Receipts for the last four works previous to 1828 19,500 00 

Further lease of these four and other works 8,050 00 

Amount for leases of copyright $63,000 00 

After the arrangement with Mr., Putnam for the uniform edi- 
tion of his works, Mr. Irving, up to the time of his decease, 
received from his publisher, (besides the stereotype and steel 

plates, valued at $17,000) $88,143 °° 

Add the foregoing amount from leases 63,000 00 

Add also the foregoing amount from English 

copyrights 61,088 00 

Amount received in his life-time. . . . $212,231 00 
Add the amount received in four years after his 
death 34>237 00 

Whole amount from his writings up to 1S64. . . $256,468 00 

Hence it is certain that Irving's picture of 
"Poor Devil Author" was but very slightly ap- 
plicable to himself. 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 297 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

OF the religious character of Washington 
Irving there seems to be but slight and 
not very satisfactory notices. That he was, 
throughout, a believer in Christianity there is 
no reason to doubt ; while yet we cannot but 
regret that the religious element, as with too 
many accomplished writers, is so much wanting 
in all the varied and extensive range of his 
numerous works. " Out of the abundance of 
the heart the mouth speaketh" and the pen 
writeth ; and we have a right to infer that if the 
religious sentiment had been of much promi- 
nence in the mind and heart of the illustrious 
author there would have been a fuller revelation 
of it in his voluminous compositions. 

As he grew old we detect a wish for religious 
confidence and peace. In a letter written when 
fifty-seven years of age to his sister, Mrs. Van 
Wart, alluding to their brother Ebenezer, he 
writes : " I think him one of the most perfect 
examples of the Christian character that I have 



298 Memoir of Washington Irving. 

ever known. He has all father's devotion and 
zeal, without his strictness. Indeed, his piety 
is of the most genial and cheerful kind, inter- 
fering with no rational pleasure or elegant taste, 
and obtruding itself upon no one's habits, opin- 
ions, or pursuits. I wish to God I could feel 
like him. I envy him that indwelling source of 
consolation and enjoyment which appears to 
have a happier effect than all the maxims of 
philosophy or the lessons of worldly wisdom." 

At the age of sixty-five, and ten or eleven 
years previous to his death, Mr. Irving connected 
himself with the Episcopal Church in his neigh- 
borhood, and we may hope that his latter days 
were days of devotion and prayer. At the same 
time we are pained that amid the protracted 
illness from which he never recovered there is 
but little expression of religious confidence and 
hope, and that the Divine consolations were so 
little alluded to, and apparently so scantily 
enjoyed. 

By the time the last volume of his " Wash- 
ington" was undertaken Mr. Irving's health 
had begun seriously to decline, and it grew 
worse and worse as the work proceeded. Asth- 
ma, accompanied with cough, nervousness, and 



Memoir of Washington Irving. 299 

consequent interruption of sleep, were his promi- 
nent symptoms. With some brief intervals of 
reviving and more hopeful prospects, he con- 
tinued, on the whole, to decline, until on the 
evening of November 28, 1859, as he was pre- 
paring to retire for the night, he fell and in- 
stantly expired. 

On the third day following, a beautiful Indian 
summer day, and as the sun was sinking to 
his " golden rest," was laid in his chosen resting- 
place, by the side of her that bore him, the 
remains of Washington Irving. 



the END. 



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